In Norfolk, Virginia, backers of a petition drive seeking to reverse the city council’s decision to sell waterfront land to the Pamunkey Indian Tribe for a casino announced they did not collect enough signatures for a voter referendum. The drive began soon after council members approved the land sale in a 7-1 vote on September 24. The group, Citizens for an Informed Norfolk Committee, needed 4,000 signatures from registered Norfolk voters and as of the October 25 deadline they had collected about 3,680. If the petition drive had been successful, Norfolk’s chief Circuit Court judge would have set a date for a referendum vote within 30-60 days that could have reversed the council’s decision.
But now the 5-member group announced a section of the city charter has allowed them to file a petition with the Norfolk Circuit Court clerk to introduce a new ordinance that would cancel the first one. Attorney Andrew Sacks, representing the group, said, “The city is on notice.” Former councilwoman Nicole Carry, who filed the petition, added, “We as petitioners are simply using the democratic process outlined in city rules. The casino deal is a monumental and everlasting decision being made.”
The committee has 120 days from the date of the first signature to collect 1,250 signatures and turn them into the city clerk to create the formal proposal. Then the city council would hold a public hearing on the petition followed by a vote by council members. If the council votes against the petition or doesn’t act on it within 30 days, the petitioners could again seek to force a referendum by gathering 4,000 authorized voter signatures.
Councilwoman Andria McClellan, the sole holdout on the original vote, said other council members did not do enough due diligence and the process was rushed. Describing the petition effort, McClellan said, “I continue to feel we don’t have enough questions answered about this specific deal. This is more about the process and the desire to have more civic engagement.” Petition committee member Ashley Barnett said about two-thirds of people who were approached by organizers at coffee shops and on sidewalks didn’t even know about the casino deal.
Meanwhile, the Hampton city council included in its 2020 legislative packet a request for the city to be included in a bill that allows only Bristol, Danville, Portsmouth, Richmond and Norfolk to host casinos. If the bill passes, referendums would be held in each city. Hampton Mayor Donnie Tuck said, “I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily gaming fever, but the thinking among at least I think our council is that if there is going to be two casino gaming places in Hampton Roads, at least one should be on the Peninsula.”
Tuck added, “We’re looking at it as a regional revenue-sharing economic development project. We will look at taking some the revenue from the casino that occurs and put it into a pot that would be used to finance regional projects. We’re all in on regional cooperation.”
Tuck said he’s already been approached by several casino developers.
