In 2016, Joe Morrissey lost the Richmond mayoral race to Levar Stoney. After that, Morrissey didn’t miss a beat. He ran for the state Senate and there he now sits, representing portions of Richmond and nearby Petersburg, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
That backstory could be part of what’s driving the drama over a casino license. A 2020 gaming bill allowed struggling cities to ask their voters to favor a casino resort as a way to jumpstart the regional economy. Five cities qualified: Norfolk, Portsmouth, Bristol, Danville, and the capital, Richmond. Referendums were held in the five cities–only Richmond lost, and by a narrow margin. Casinos are already under construction in the four towns who said yes. The narrow Richmond vote surprised most residents and stunned city and casino leadership.
Now the city wants a second chance with voters.
At least, Richmond officials want a redo. After all, the proposed $565 million casino development had the backing of a partnership led by media conglomerate Urban One and casino operator Peninsula Pacific Entertainment. Backers of the failed Richmond casino outcome blamed white voters in the city’s more affluent areas for the defeat of the referendum.
This is where Morrissey returns to the story–he wants the fifth license to go to Petersburg, not to the do-over city of Richmond. He says the do-over vote smacks down the democratic process, so he introduced a bill to qualify Petersburg. But it failed in committee in February.
Undeterred, Morrissey convinced enough colleagues to add a provision in the budget bill that would bar Richmond from a second vote until 2023.
Not so fast, Joe.
In March, Richmond Circuit Court Judge Reilly Marchant ruled that Richmond does not have to wait until 2023 to ask city voters about a casino, thus overriding the budget provision.
Undeterred again, Morrissey went down another avenue. He had members of the Senate Finance and Appropriations and House Appropriations committees add a provision that required the General Assembly’s Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) to consider the economic benefits of allowing Petersburg to get one of the casinos.
What does this mean for Richmond? The state may not issue their casino license until the Petersburg study concludes.
“They [Richmond] can have a referendum if they want to, but we just won’t agree to issue the license,” said House Appropriations Chair Barry Knight, one of the sponsors of legislation two years ago that allowed referendums on legalized casino gaming in five cities, including Richmond.
Petersburg Mayor Samuel Parham believes his residents will be behind a casino, which brings new jobs, tax revenue, and economic activity to the region.
“It can transform the City of Petersburg,” Parham said last December.
Relocating Richmond’s casino license to Petersburg could also be a boon for Morrissey’s re-election bid next year. The Times-Dispatch reports that Morrissey’s Senate district is considered a swing seat. And with the Democrats maintaining a narrow two-seat advantage over Republicans in the 40-seat Senate, the party will work hard to keep Morrissey in office.
While Morrissey’s 16th District includes parts of Richmond, the majority of the district’s votes come from south of the capital, in Petersburg and the surrounding towns.
