AS WE PREPARE FOR ANOTHER VOTE ON GAMBLING

Cape Girardeau has thrice voted on riverboat gambling -- first at the state level and twice on local options. Each election was hard fought. Gambling has proved an emotional issue that pitted friend against neighbor.

Now it appears we'll vote two more times on gambling -- at the state level in April and possibly on the local option in June. It's enough to make citizens on both sides of the fence wince.

But vote we must.

The city of Cape Girardeau has little choice but to place the matter back on the ballot. A legal technicality forced the statewide re-vote -- and local options are dependent on that outcome.

Of course if the issue fails statewide next month, the question of whether to hold a third local option in Cape Girardeau becomes moot. But should the amendment pass, Cape Girardeau finds itself between a rock and a hard place. Without a vote, the local gaming option could be challenged. Others have claimed a third election is not warranted. As City Attorney Warren Wells so aptly stated: "Which lawsuit do you want to risk?"

Most of the cities with local gambling options rushed to place their issues on the April ballot. The city took a wait-and-see attitude, partly because Cape Girardeau's proposal is not in the first batch before the State Gaming Commission. The council will consider authorizing a June election on Monday.

The wait may prove very prudent on the city's part. There's some speculation that the 17 cities that vote the same day as the statewide ballot could be forced to vote again. By law, the amendment becomes effective 30 days after passage, thereby nullifying any local options approved on the same day. It poses a sticky "chicken or the egg" dilemma.

Boyd Gaming is pushing the third local election. We certainly can't blame them. It would be foolish for them to proceed with local development if legal entanglements could stop it cold just a few months down the road.

On the other hand, a third local vote could prove risky. Both local elections were bitter at times, with the local option failing in June of 1993 by a 53 to 47 percent margin. It passed last November, 52 to 48 percent.

After weeks of local focus on which gaming company should lead the charge, the debate will now return to the more basic issue of gambling. We welcome the debate, but we urge both proponents and opponents to maintain a civil discourse. We can't afford another bitter election to divide our town.

Let us all be reminded that local residents on both sides want what they feel is best for our city. The approach is different -- the goal is the same. We are all Cape Girardeans. Let us agree to disagree.

Most people are tired of all the legal hassles and endless elections. Others look at these developments as an opportunity to change minds.

We're just ready for Missouri and Cape Girardeau to decide the issue of riverboat gambling once and for all.