C.R. benefits from a strong application

Dear Chair Jeff Lamberti and members of the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission:

Thank you very much for all the work you are doing and for taking on the responsibilities of the commission.

I was surprised to be appointed by Gov. Terry Branstad to the first IRGC in 1984 because I had opposed parimutuel wagering as an Iowa state senator in the mid-1970s. However, I came to respect his purpose in having diverse views represented as gambling was established in Iowa. So, I particularly appreciate the strengths that each of you bring to this task.

I urge positive consideration for the current Cedar Rapid gaming license application that you will decide on Thursday. I say this as one who has had to vote on a number of applications brought to the IRGC by well-meaning and good Iowa citizens. Decision-making criteria was often elusive, so thoughtful consideration and good judgment was the ultimate determiner.

Here are some thoughts that, I respectfully suggest, speak in favor of a yes vote on Thursday:

l You know a successful application when you see one - A.

I remember very clearly the Dubuque community's well thought-out and solidly backed application for the state's first greyhound track. As a commissioner, you just knew that these good people had it together and built a foundation for success. They had the facts, the figures, the enthusiasm and the financial wherewithal. There was unanimous support on the IRGC for Dubuque and for (what became) Altoona. Not near as much enthusiasm for a Waterloo racing application and solid no's for Cedar Rapids, Council Bluffs, Shenandoah and West Liberty. None of these had what it took. Dubuque went on to set the standard for community investment and progress.

l You know a successful application when you see one - B

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As a skeptical citizen of Cedar Rapids, I have viewed the metamorphosis of referendums on gaming here. As a commissioner who had voted no on previous Cedar Rapids-area applications, I assumed that the current application would be more of the same. However, the highly successful county referendum along with a cacophony of community support blossomed under the leadership of a new approach for this re-emerging city. Solid backing by a true diversity of community leadership along with a compelling plan fostered an overwhelming yes vote in a city where that kind of passage had simply not previously occurred. It turned me from an observing cynic to an advocate despite my many residual misgivings regarding gambling in general.

l As for the cannibalization concern, I trust your judgment.

Any new facility has faced this critique over the last 30 years. If the application from Cedar Rapids were for just another destination casino, this would be a more serious concern. However, I believe that the complete integration of a casino facility into a dynamic community development plan largely exempts it from this concern. All well-managed existing facilities will survive while the industry in Iowa will be more apt to survive.

l The Cedar Rapids application fits the emerging gambling market and is tailored to leverage development and redevelopment of a city like no previous application over the last 30 years.

Our great Flood of 2008 did great damage and, as pointed out by our community leaders, has presented many opportunities. This application presents an opportunity like no other. Flood water wiped clean the best-suited site in the state.

The visibility and outstanding visual presentation to all travelers on the Avenue of the Saints from St. Louis to St. Paul will invite through-state travelers even more effectively than the outstanding highway presentations by Mystique along Highway 151 in Dubuque and the Council Bluffs location along I-80.

The Cedar Crossing application is a unique opportunity in the history of the IRGC. It is my hope that you see it as such. Doing so will bring to fruition a model of economic and community development envisioned by Iowa in establishing this industry in the first place.

l Steve Sovern of Cedar Rapids is an attorney and former member of the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission. Comments: ssovern@imonmail.com