Mississippi County residents take sides on casino project

MISSISSIPPI COUNTY, Mo. -- Ask a senior citizen having a bite of chicken liver at the East Prairie Nutrition Center. Or someone hauling groceries to her car from the Country Mart in Charleston. Ask a restaurant owner, a pastor's wife or a retired home builder.

Everyone has a different opinion about whether or not Mississippi County should get the $300 million casino project that Union City, Tenn., developer Ricky Smith has proposed to build.

"I'm not for it," said retired East Prairie resident Jerry Britt. "I think gambling brings in things you don't need or want. People go hungry. I know we've got problems, but I'd just as soon it be something else to fix it."

But Shirley Cornwell, the maintenance supervisor of East Prairie Housing Authority, disagreed.

"It's the only way we have right now to provide jobs that pay decent wages to the people," he said. "The average wage is $10 to $15 an hour. That's good money for around here."

George Roberts, also an East Prairie resident, said he had mixed feelings about the casino.

"I'd hate to see gambling come in, but we need something to help the economic situation," he said.

Winston Wilburn, a retired electrical worker in East Prairie, said he likes that some of the property tax generated by the casino would go to schools.

"If it brings money to the community -- especially the schools," he said, "that'd be great."

Glenn Manning, who described himself as semiretired, said it shouldn't be up to legislators to make decisions for people based on their morals.

"I'm for it and I don't gamble," he said. "Besides, people who are going to do it are going to do it one way or another. You can't stop gambling if they want to gamble."

Jennifer Grissom and her husband own Depot Barbecue in East Prairie. She said the casino would bring in more out-of-town business to help sluggish retail sales.

"We'd pick some of that up," she said in between serving customers. "But it's the jobs that the whole town needs."

Her husband, Keith Grissom, who also heads the East Prairie Chamber of Commerce, also favors the casino plan.

"This really is a depressed area," he said. "Unemployment here is consistently among the highest in the state."

But Mike Grimes, who owns GH Home Furnishings in Charleston, said he thinks it will bring in more bad than good. While he initially had no problem with the casino, a little research changed his mind.

"There's a lot more to this than jobs," he said. "Statistics show that within 50 miles of casinos, crime rates go up, prostitution comes in, there's an increase in drug use. It hurts the poor and preys on the weak. It will drain the lifeblood from this community. How can you be in favor of that?"

Bernita Gibson, a pastor's wife from Charleston, agreed.

"People will lose more money than they make in the long run," she said.

But for others, the economic benefit outweighs any talk of that.

"It's all right with me," said Daniel Watkins of Bertrand. "If he's got $300 million to blow, let him blow it in Mississippi County. It will create jobs. That's what it's all about, right?"

smoyers@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 137