Petersburg withholds reaction to second defeat of Richmond casino referendum
PETERSBURG – City officials are reticent to say anything yet about Tuesday’s overwhelming defeat in Richmond of the casino referendum … a far cry from two years ago when the unrestrained Petersburg push for legalized gambling started practically from the announcement of the results.
Unlike in 2021 when casino opponents eked out a 1,500-vote victory that prompted calls for a do-over, the vote this time was far more definitive. Despite a multimillion-dollar info and ad campaign leading up to Tuesday, 61% of Richmond voters rejected the proposed Richmond Grand hotel and casino.
Also unlike the last time, supporters of the casino appear to have resolved themselves to the outcome. Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney said in a statement that while he pushed for the referendum’s passage, it was time to turn the page.
“I will continue to be a voice for communities that have been historically overlooked and underserved,” Stoney said. “I will work for more accessible and affordable childcare, for good paying jobs, and for an abundance of opportunities for all Richmonders – no matter their zip code or socioeconomic status.”
In the meantime, Petersburg officially is practicing restraint on the issue, in part likely because the lawmaker who made the biggest noise for its location here is no longer a factor in the equation. Sen. Joe Morrissey, D-Petersburg, was soundly defeated in last June’s Senate Democratic primary by former Del. Lashrecse Aird, who went on to win Tuesday’s general election.
“At this time, there will be no comment from the city on the casino,” Petersburg spokesperson Joanne Williams said in a text to The Progress-Index.
Petersburg City Council has a meeting scheduled for 5 p.m. Wednesday. While not specifically on the agenda, the topic may come up at some point.
Richmond was one of five Virginia cities cited in 2019 legislation to host casino operations in Virginia. It also was the only one to reject the topic in referendum. The other four cities – Bristol, Danville, Norfolk and Portsmouth – approved theirs, and casinos have already opened in three of them.
Petersburg jumped into the casino fray with both feet two years ago, first trying to woo developer Urban One to look here, then launching an all-out campaign led by Morrissey and Petersburg Mayor Sam Parham, to convince the General Assembly to add Petersburg and subtract Richmond from the list of host cities.
The issue was taken up twice and both times defeated in the Senate Finance & Appropriations Committee. A last-minute request by state Sen. Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, to kill the measure ended its 2023 legislative trek.
During a political appearance last September in Petersburg, Lucas said she voted to defeat the issue mostly because of the brashness of Morrissey’s pursuit of the casino for Petersburg. Lucas, who stands to become the chair of Senate Finance & Appropriations come January, also said that if the Richmond referendum failed, she would be open to considering Petersburg as the central Virginia host site now that Morrissey is out of the picture.
Should the casino issue be revisited, Petersburg will come armed with the findings of a 2022 study from the Joint Legislative Audit Review Commission promoting the city's viability as a host city. A caveat from that report that said the industry would have been best served by having casinos in both Petersburg and Richmond reignited Richmond's fight for a second chance at the referendum.
Bill Atkinson (he/him/his) is an award-winning journalist who covers breaking news, government and politics. Reach him at batkinson@progress-index.com or on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @BAtkinson_PI.
This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: Petersburg no-comments second defeat of Richmond casino referendum
