Mayors at gaming forum say casino didn't bring crime to their towns, boosted economy

Mayors from towns with casinos touted the benefits of gaming in their communities Tuesday night during a forum organized by Cape Girardeau Mayor Harry Rediger.

About 80 people listened as mayors from Maryland Heights, Mo., Boonville, Mo., and Alton, Ill., answered questions at Glenn Auditorium on the campus of Southeast Missouri State University.

Boonville Mayor Julie Thacher called her town's casino an "asset," while Alton Mayor Tom Hoechst called his town's casino "the savior of our community." Maryland Heights Mayor Michael Moeller described the improvements his town was able to make with its casino revenues as "awesome."

A fourth mayor, Patricia York of St. Charles, Mo., was unable to attend due to a personal emergency, but pre-recorded video statements were shown during the forum.

Questions for the mayors were submitted via e-mail in advance and asked by moderator Faune Riggin of KZIM. Riggin received about 60 questions and narrowed them down to about 25 asked during the forum.

When asked if crime increased in their communities after a casino came to town, all four mayors said it did not.

"They were very afraid of the element this could bring, but we have not seen that at all," said Thacher. "The highest percentage of calls our police get from Isle of Capri are people who have locked their keys in their car."

Isle of Capri, the same company wanting to build a casino in Cape Girardeau, opened in Boonville in 2001.

Thacher also said Missouri Gaming Commission rules require background checks for outstanding warrants before awarding large jackpots to winners and police have arrested several people this way.

St. Charles Mayor Patricia York said there is no more crime at her town's casino that in its Walmart parking lot.

In Alton, the crime rate has dropped 42 percent since 1990, said Mayor Tom Hoechst. When the Alton Belle casino first opened in 1991, three police officers were assigned to patrol the area, but that stopped after just nine months.

"Crime in that area actually decreased because people know [the casino[']s] security is so present," Hoechst said.

When asked if casinos give away free alcoholic drinks and if they have had problems with drunken behavior at or near their casinos, mayors said no to both.

"We have more trouble with the [Verizon] Amphitheatre by far than we do with the casino," said Maryland Heights Mayor Michael Moeller. "The casino doesn't want a bunch of drunks running around in their casino. It's a bad image."

When asked about the casinos' effect on existing businesses in their communities, all four mayors said the casinos' arrival didn't force any local businesses to close and Moeller said additional restaurants and bars have opened in Maryland Heights since the casino opened there.

"Businesses were leery, saying [the casino] 'can afford to pay more for bartenders and waiters. They'll steal my employees,'" Moeller said. "Some of that did happen, but that's just good business. Probably some of the rest of them had to pay more hourly wages to keep their help, but maybe they were getting by too cheap for too long."

The mayors were asked if they had always supported gambling and while Moeller and Hoechst said they didn't feel strongly either way before working with one in their own communities, Thacher said she voted against it the first time it was on the ballot in Boonville.

"I was brought up in a Southern Baptist home," she said. "I wasn't brought up believing in that sort of thing. But the second time, I voted for it. It's been a wonderful thing for our town, and we would be in a world of hurt without the gaming money coming into our town."

Thatcher said the jobs a casino could bring is what changed her mind about them.

"We need jobs in Boonville and I don't know what we'd do if we didn't have these 500 jobs," she said. "Three-hundred of the 500 employees live in Cooper County, within a 20 mile radius. They buy groceries and gas and spend their money in town."

All four communities have used their gaming revenues for different improvement projects, including new government buildings, police and fire equipment, road projects, water and sewer projects, and downtown beautification.

The mayors also said the casinos have been good community partners donating money to local charitable organizations and volunteering for community projects.

In the past three years, the Argosy Casino in Alton has donated $450,000 to organizations in that community including hospitals, food banks, the United Way and Habitat for Humanity, Hoechst said.

Thacher said the city of Boonville shares its casino revenues with its neighboring counties by contributing to their sheriff's departments and prosecutors offices.

"We always ask them if gaming has negatively impacted their community and they always say no, but they always take the check," Thacher said.

mmiller@semissourian.com

388-3646

Pertinent address:

One University Plaza, Cape Girardeau, MO