Mayors from four casino towns to participate in Cape Girardeau forum

Cape Girardeau Mayor Harry Rediger is hoping his counterparts from four cities with casinos in Missouri and Illinois will "clear the air" by answering questions directly from residents at a forum next Tuesday, exactly one week before voters will decide whether Cape Girardeau will stay in contention for a $125 million gaming facility downtown.

The Mayors Forum will take place at 6:30 p.m. at Glenn Auditorium in Dempster Hall on the campus of Southeast Missouri State University. The mayors from the Missouri towns of Boonville, Maryland Heights and St. Charles will join the mayor of Alton, Ill., to answer questions from the

public for one hour, Rediger said.

The event will be moderated by KZIM-KSIM radio personality Faune Riggin. But the questions, Rediger said, will come directly from the public.

"This is information that will not come from somebody in town, not from Isle of Capri, not from our staff or me," Rediger said. "This is information coming from the leadership in those communities that have experienced gaming. I think this will offer our residents a better understanding of what actually will happen when we get gaming."

The mayors who have agreed to participate are Alton Mayor Tom Hoecht, Boonville Mayor Julie Thatcher, Maryland Heights Mayor Mike Moeller and St. Charles Mayor Patti York.

For more information, check out the website later or Wednesday's Southeast Missourian.