Is a casino the best CR can do?

I have never seen a community fight so hard for something that has the potential for doing more harm than good. What we just saw was liken to what a parent experiences when their child is told NO about something. For the days, weeks and months that follow, the child pesters, whines and fusses until the parent is worn down and gives in. The gaming commission said NO twice and yet the child persisted and ultimately got their way.

Is a casino the best that we can do such that we fought for it for 11 years? If that is an example of Cedar Rapids putting its best foot forward, I’m terribly disappointed.

When is the city of Cedar Rapids going to bring to light ideas, projects and initiatives that will make Cedar Rapids a sought-after destination? When was the last time our officials had a brainstorming session where they sat around and threw out ideas? Wait, is that how the casino came about? Oh brother.

Does Cedar Rapids really want to be known for and sought after because we have a casino? If a casino is putting our best foot forward, then it’s time to find city leaders who have more vision and a heartfelt desire to create a city that has something more to offer its citizens, our visitors and the business community. We can do better, much better.

Mark Conzett

Cedar Rapids