A Champaign, Illinois television station recently asked if Rockford Alderman Natavias Ervins’ vote to support Hard Rock International’s plan for a casino to be built by Ervins’ former employer posed a conflict of interest. Ervins had listed Ringland-Johnson Construction as his employer on his Facebook page.
The broadcast elicited a response from attorney Bobbie Holzwarth, Rockford’s lead lawyer on casino matters, who said the vote was not a conflict of interest because the information on his Facebook page was outdated. “He has worked for Ringland-Johnson in the past, but he was not employed by them at the time the casino law was passed or when the city was looking at the proposals,” Holzwarth said.
Ervins, a member of Carpenters Local 792, has not worked for Ringland-Johnson since November 2017—two years before he voted on the casino plan. He now works as a carpenter for Jack Hall Construction of Rockford, according to union records, and his Facebook page has been updated. A Rockford casino is one of six new casinos included in the state’s new gambling law.
Brad Long, business representative for Carpenters Local 792, said most carpenters work for whatever company has work available. “If he was working for the company, he probably should have abstained, but he wasn’t and hadn’t been for a while. You still have a right as a community member and as an alderman, to voice an opinion on what he thinks is best for the community. He shouldn’t have to sacrifice his voice and should be able to vote like the rest of the aldermen did. It’s not like it was a tight vote even.”
Eleven aldermen, including Ervins, voted October 7 to certify Seminole Hard Rock International’s $310 million proposal to develop a 65,000-square-foot casino, a Hard Rock Café and a 1,600-seat Hard Rock Live venue at the former Clock Tower Resort site. Following the vote, 815 Entertainment LLC, Seminole Hard Rock International’s partner with dozens of local investors, applied to the Illinois Gaming Board for a casino license.
Alderman John Beck abstained from the vote after his employer, the Rockford Park District, endorsed the project after reaching an agreement for financial support from Hard Rock if it won the license.
