Gov. Tim Pawlenty has made no secret of his desire to find a way to tap in to casino gambling money, and it seems St. Paul Mayor Randy Kelly wants a piece of the pie, too.
But how aggressively Kelly is going after it is a matter of intense speculation as Pawlenty prepares to announce his budget plan today. "It's not a secret that for the last three years there have been discussions about bringing some form of gambling to St. Paul, whether that comes in the form of a card room, a riverboat or an actual casino," said St. Paul Deputy Mayor Dennis Flaherty. But Flaherty said firmly on Monday that no formal gaming proposal exists and none has been "vetted" through any process. But Kelly clearly is interested in bringing gambling to St. Paul. "The mayor would view a proposal such as that as an economic development proposal," Flaherty said, "and I think he would look at it as an entertainment venue." Council President Kathy Lantry said she is appalled by the notion. "My initial reaction to gambling in downtown St. Paul is a big fat 'No,' " she said. "It just doesn't seem like the image we've worked so hard to build of St. Paul as a historic, family-friendly town." http://www.startribune.com/stories/462/5203236.html This running government on gambling $ is just bizzarre. ===== Eva Young Near North Minneapolis Blogs: http://lloydletta.blogspot.com http://www.outletradio.com _____________________________________________ To Join: St. Paul Issues Forum Rules Discussion Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ____________________________________________ NEW ADDRESS FOR LIST: [email protected] To subscribe, modify subscription, or get your password - visit: http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/listinfo/stpaul Archive Address: http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/private/stpaul/
