Dan Carmody, Fort Wayne's former head of the Downtown Improvement District, responded to a recent Fort Wayne Observed post on the possibility of casino gaming in Fort Wayne:
From my experience at the origins of heartland gambling casinos are poor levers of economic development and even worse as new forms of revenue generation for units of local government. We are faced with a situation which demands a return to basics, casino gambling is a nice niche for affluent societies but not a cornerstone for local economies in crises.
Mr. Carmody references his longtime experience in urban revitalization and economic development in the Quad-Cities of Illinois and Iowa. The establishment of riverboat gaming on the Mississippi riverfront at Davenport and Bettendorf, Iowa, was the earliest introduction of legal casino gambling activity in the Midwest in metropolitan areas.
He now serves as head of the Detroit Eastern Market and is a well-traveled lecturer and writer on urban development issues.
Photo credit: Dave Krieger
Like it or not this area will need to do some due diligence to determine the effects of a casino, and if it is going to be pursued, how it should be executed. I'm a big Dan Carmody fan, but couldn't remember where I read this quote. In doing so I came across these notes from the IL gaming board where Carmody spoke about the positive effects of the casino in the Rock Island community.
http://www.igb.state.il.us/meetings/950326special.pdf
Needless to say, there is a lot yet to be learned regarding whether a casino would have any economic benefit to this area. I honestly don't have a stance on this issue yet. However, we would be foolish not to do our homework.
Posted by: Michael Barranda | February 25, 2009 at 10:58 AM
You only have to do homework for the classes that you are taking, Barranda. Unless you are considering investing your money in a casino, there is no need for you to look into the viability of one.
Posted by: Robert Enders | February 26, 2009 at 07:34 PM
Casinoes are just another business, albeit a bottom-feeding one. You can see on a map that they seem to be best fitted to locations that are in effect deserts on one type or another, places without other economic promise. That's why it is so sad to realize how excited Fort Wayne is about building one here.
Posted by: Craig Ladwig | February 26, 2009 at 09:14 PM
Robert, you may choose to turn a blind eye to this issue, but the fact is that our Mayor has made it a point to study this issue. Will you have the citizens of this City blindly accept those results? Yours is an interesting comment from a man interested in public service.
Posted by: Michael Barranda | February 27, 2009 at 09:31 AM
The mayor also says that we aren't going to invest public funds in a casino. If he keeps that promise, that means that the city is not taking a financial risk and has nothing to lose. The prospective casino owners are the ones who stand to lose; let them determine if a casino would be viable.
My interest in public service does not translate into an interest in gambling. It is none of my business or the mayor's business what people decide to do with their discretionary income. If people want to gamble, let them petition casino operators to expand here.
Posted by: Robert Enders | February 27, 2009 at 01:18 PM
Robert, would you not vote in the referendum or simply make an uninformed vote?
Posted by: barranda | February 28, 2009 at 11:26 AM