What did Quinn promise?
Monday, May 6, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* This is interesting. Waukegan’s mayor-elect had a meeting with Gov. Pat Quinn on the gaming bill, and emerged from that sitdown believing his city has the edge on a new casino if the bill passes and is signed into law…
Waukegan mayor-elect Wayne Motley made it clear Thursday, May 2, that he feels his city is in the lead after he met privately with Gov. Pat Quinn in Springfield as the Senate bill was unfolding.
“I spoke to him for an hour and we discussed the bill in detail,” Motley said. “It never hurts to have the governor on your side.”
Motley added that he feels “without question that bill was written for the city of Waukegan,” even though the Illinois Gaming Board would be asked to choose from the roster of three county communities.
Um, the Gaming Board is supposed to make that siting decision, not the governor. Then again, Quinn and the Gaming Board’s chairman seem to be locked at the hip. The most recent example…
To meet the governor’s demands, Link added a prohibition on political contributions from gambling interests, created a new executive inspector general for gambling and gave Jaffe’s agency oversight over a Chicago casino commensurate with all other Illinois casinos. […]
Link said he made 28 revisions to this latest effort that were sought by the Gaming Board, including removing a provision that would give the state lottery power to set up casino-style wagering over the Internet. […]
“In the preamble, they say yes, the Gaming Board will have total control. But do we? I don’t think so. I think the Chicago casino authority…is the one that’s going to undertake building the casino. The worst fines that have come out of the Gaming Board come when they have contracts like this,” Jaffe said.
Link said the Gaming Board hasn’t issued construction contracts for any other casino and has the power to immediately shut down any construction work involving contractors it deems ethically suspect.
“They can’t hand out the construction contracts. He’s trying to go way way overboard,” Link said. […]
Jaffe also ridiculed several revenue set-asides spelled out in the legislation. The plan would put $13 million annually into a fund for “depressed communities,” $6.5 million annually to the “Latino Community Economic Development Fund,” $6.25 million annually to soil and water conservation districts and $75,000 annually to the Chicago Botanic Garden, among other things.
“I don’t think they’re necessary at all,” Jaffe said. “It’s a Christmas tree bill — something for everybody that’s orchestrated, I think, with the wrong thoughts, and I’m not happy with it.”
The set-asides are absolutely none of Chairman Jaffe’s concern, but this is an issue that concerns the governor, so the two are on the same page.
- soccermom - Monday, May 6, 13 @ 10:37 am:
Jaffe, here’s a little exercise I find useful in my career. When something bugs me, I ask myself: “My job, or not my job?” If it’s my job, I go after it like a house afire. If not — I shut my freaking cakehole, at least where reporters are concerned.
- OneMan - Monday, May 6, 13 @ 10:44 am:
On the one hand it is good to have a chief gaming regulator that is a bit suspicious.
On the other hand, it isn’t good to have regulator that seems to think his industry shouldn’t exist. Seriously, did two kids named Harrah and Ceasar take his milk money in middle school.
- OneMan - Monday, May 6, 13 @ 10:46 am:
I don’t always find things to object to in gaming bills, oh wait yes I do
- walkinfool - Monday, May 6, 13 @ 10:54 am:
Gwyneth Paltrow judging a fried chicken contest.
- Plutocrat03 - Monday, May 6, 13 @ 10:55 am:
Thank goodness
When PQ tells you something, you can take it to the bank…..
- Empty Chair - Monday, May 6, 13 @ 10:55 am:
Could it possibly be that the bill was written for Waukegan because the bill’s primary sponsor is from there and ran for mayor of the city? No, that’s a silly answer. It must be Quinn’s fault!
- wordslinger - Monday, May 6, 13 @ 11:10 am:
The more delays in getting any new casinos online in the Chicago metro, the more money for the existing casinos, especially Neil Bluhm’s “Rivers” in Des Plaines, the newest, shiniest one.
- Just Observing - Monday, May 6, 13 @ 11:19 am:
It’s odd that one of the set-asides is for the Chicago Botanical Gardens. The other set-asides, at least theoretically, benefit the whole state.
- Dee Lay - Monday, May 6, 13 @ 12:40 pm:
How about ear-marking part of the admission tax for tourism like they do in Indiana? Over the border, 10 cents on every admission goes to the local convention & visitors bureau for local promotion which in turn brings more dollars to the region and the state. Makes complete sense for Illinois which has a vibrant tourism industry.
- Arthur Andersen - Monday, May 6, 13 @ 1:16 pm:
Go to the head of the class, word.
- Anonymous - Monday, May 6, 13 @ 1:24 pm:
I don’t think Jaffe’s anti-casino, I think he’s just trying to avoid future litigation or issues raising from a poorly written bill. How is the gaming inspector general appointed? There’s nothing in the bill about that? Why can’t Chicago just own the casino, get all the revenue and be regulated like ever other casino in the state? Why are there special considerations for Chicago?
- Robert the Bruce - Monday, May 6, 13 @ 2:01 pm:
Seems like Waukegan Mayor-elect Motley should shut his piehole too. If the fix is in, and it is in your favor, don’t tell reporters!
- OneMan - Monday, May 6, 13 @ 2:02 pm:
Anonymous,
Living in a city with a casino the city does not own the casino the operator does. Also having the city own the casino and operate it would cause all sorts of issues, including the city having no idea how to run a casino, loss of economies of scale that operators have as well as the loss of cross promotional opportunities that the operators in multiple locations have.
- Just The Way It Is One - Monday, May 6, 13 @ 7:34 pm:
Wherever they put that one up north, Waukegan or closer to Six Flags, whatever–let’s get on with it already! Illinois and Chicago really need the dough, and we daily keep handing glob$ of it off to places like Indiana…this waste must stop!!!