Cross, Cherokee CEO share statements on Issue 2

Pope County Judge Ben Cross has released a statement about the outcome of Issue 2.

By: River Valley Now

Statement of Pope County Judge Ben Cross on the passage of Issue 2:

“In what is undoubtedly the epitome of irony, Pope County voters definitively made their voices heard once and for all on the casino issue by soundly defeating Issue 2 in our county. While 74 other counties once again decided an issue for us, it is interesting to note those closest to the issue, our neighboring counties, likewise defeated Issue 2. The fact Issue 2 was defeated in Pope County does provide affirmation that all the hard work that Legends Resort and Casino devoted to investing in our region was validated in this election. To my fellow mayors, city councils, J.P’s, business owners, and our communities, thank you for your steadfast support of this project. In the second aspect of irony, the very group that advocated for local control, effectively ripped it away in this election by running a $17 million dollar anti-casino campaign with another casino’s money.”

“The passage of Issue 2 will have a direct and regressive impact on our County, and the entire River Valley for that matter. It is simply a missed opportunity that will not be replicated in terms of scope, investment, and jobs. As a driving source of progress, from our smallest communities to our largest, they all had critical infrastructure projects relying on the significant economic investment this meant to each of them. Our schools will miss millions in new funding, our volunteer fire departments will have to sacrifice new equipment purchases, our cities will struggle for sewer and water improvements. For the County, we lose not only the direct economic development funds, we lose the opportunity for a new courthouse annex, and a host of other priority infrastructure projects that are desperately needed to provide essential services to our citizens. While I anticipate almost certain litigation will ensue, I am also acutely aware such litigation could take years to resolve with an array of possible outcomes. Therefore, we as a County, will persevere, and continue to provide the best services we can with the resources we have.”

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