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Campaign to rally support for Linn County gaming referendum taking shape
Supporters emerge to campaign for measure’s passage this November

Aug. 12, 2021 9:18 pm, Updated: Oct. 13, 2021 3:36 pm
Three Cedar Rapids casino proposals were rejected in 2017 by state regulators. They included (from left) Cedar Crossing 2.0, Cedar Crossing 1.0 and Wild Rose. (Renderings provided by casino development groups)
CEDAR RAPIDS — A group is taking shape to lead the charge to encourage Linn County voters to back a measure that allows gambling within the county and leaves the door open for a casino in the Cedar Rapids area.
If passed, the measure would permanently authorize gaming and allow Cedar Rapids to again seek permission from the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission to operate a licensed casino. The Linn County Board of Supervisors in July approved placing the referendum on the Nov. 2 ballot.
Anne Parmley, previously the senior vice president of client services at Pearson, will serve as board president of the Linn County Gaming Association. The volunteer-led team sets the vision to support community not-for-profit partnerships to serve county needs and will focus on encouraging passage of the gaming referendum.
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Iowa is the only state that requires licensed casinos to contribute a share of their revenue to local charities and community projects. The association would serve as the not-for-profit organization tied to any casino in Linn County.
Other board members include:
• Todd Bergen, vice president for commercial real estate and business development for Skogman Realty
• Zach Bohannon, director of strategy for Estes Partners
• Brooke Fitzgerald, partner of the Restoration Project
• Monica Slaughter, assistant Linn County Attorney
The Cedar Rapids Development Group — made up of mostly local investors — also is supporting efforts to pass the referendum. The group has an agreement with Cedar Rapids through Oct. 9, 2029, for the city to exclusively support the group in a casino license application.
The chair of the Linn Wins! campaign to pass the referendum is Drew Skogman, an executive with Skogman Homes and an investor in the Cedar Rapids Development Group.
“Voting yes on this referendum is about Linn County’s future,” Skogman said in a statement. “Linn County is the largest county in Iowa without a gaming facility, and it’s time for us to receive the same economic stimulus that casinos bring to other counties in the state.”
Unlike when voters last passed the referendum in 2013, by 61.23 percent, investors have not yet put forth a proposal for a specific casino. But Parmley indicated confidence that voters would favor the measure when they cast their ballots in the Nov. 2 election based on early polling, which she said shows equal if not greater support this time around.
A campaign to oppose the referendum’s passage has not yet formed, according to Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board filings. When voters last passed the referendum 2013, the vitriolic campaign cost $2.2 million.
Parmley said she sees an opportunity to campaign on the shifts in the market since last time state regulators opposed a license for a casino in Cedar Rapids, in 2017, saying it would cut too much into business at the Riverside Casino & Hotel to the south and the Isle of Capri in Waterloo to the north.
Officials are eyeing changes across state lines after Nebraska voters authorized gambling there, which some Iowa casino backers worry could hurt the state’s gaming revenues. Additionally, the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission has four new members and one vacant spot.
“That's what we have to create awareness around, is it is a different kind of environment this time around,” Parmley said.
She said the campaign will involve typical marketing, including advertising and billboards, but the team is also speaking with business and not-for-profit leaders, officeholders and labor groups that would be influential.
“It will bring entertainment. It will bring tourism. It will bring development — economic development — to Linn County,” Parmley said.
Most importantly, Parmley said, would be the contributions to not-for-profit organizations given the financial constraints many have faced from COVID-19 and last summer’s derecho.
While building support for the referendum over the next three months, the association will work to identify future opportunities within Linn County for allocating potential casino revenue to local community groups.
A kickoff event for community, not-for-profit and business leaders is planned for Sept. 8. More information is available at LinnWins.com.
Comments: (319) 398-8494; marissa.payne@thegazette.com