Mayors to vote against Louisiana casino proposal
The mayors of Slidell and Mandeville have said they will vote against the $325m casino proposed for Louisiana’s St. Tammany parish.
US.- The mayors of Slidell and Mandeville – the two largest municipalities in the area – have both said they will vote against the creation of a $325m new casino in Louisiana’s St. Tammany parish. The proposal is coming up for a vote at a public referendum in November.
Slidell’s mayor, Greg Cromer, wrote in a letter posted on his social media: “My answer is that I will be voting NO on the casino referendum.”
His Mandenville peer, Clay Madden, also turned to social media to say he’s “firmly against” the proposal.
He wrote: “I do not think it is consistent with the beautiful Northshore’s quality of life. While I respect the rights of all residents to vote, my family and I will be NO votes on this matter.”
Casino operator Peninsula Pacific has closed its DiamondJacks casino in Bossier Parish following poor performance and wants to move its licence to a new site, but it needs the St. Tammany parish to reverse an anti-casino vote from 1996.
State senator Patrick McMath has said: “There’s no doubt this will be a positive economic impact for the state of Louisiana.”
HB702 has already been passed by both the House and the Senate. It will be up for voters to decide on the issue, but there seems to be a growing anti-casino campaign.
