Cordish beats out four other bidders to win Petersburg's casino business, but council reaction is muted
PETERSBURG – City Council unanimously chose a familiar face as its preferred casino vendor Wednesday night, but the choice took a back seat to what happened once the special meeting was adjourned.
Instead of sticking around to talk about the economic potential of that decision or the next steps in the process of pushing the idea to Petersburg’s voters, councilors quickly dashed to their cars in the Petersburg Public Library parking lot. Some of them declined to comment while others walked stone-faced without saying a word as they approached reporters waiting outside for reaction.
The only councilor to comment was Ward 5 Councilor Howard Myers, who made the motion to go with go with Cordish and BSE’s $1.4 billion proposal for 92 acres off Wagner Road in south Petersburg. In an email to The Progress-Index, Myers said he was “ecstatic about the potential transformative opportunities” stemming from the proposal.
“The city of Petersburg has been grossly underrated and disenfranchised for decades,” Myers, also a former mayor, said in the email. He went on to praise Mayor Sam Parham for leading "the drive to accomplish the greatest feats of a city broken by the color of its skin.”
Parham, however, was one of the first to leave the library after the meeting adjourned, followed by City Manager March Altman and City Attorney Tony Williams. Altman and Williams traditionally do not comment to the press about council votes, though.
Ward 6 Councilor Annette Smith-Lee shook her head when asked to comment on the vote by The Progress-Index. Ward 1 Councilor Marlow Jones stared straight ahead as he walked to his car without acknowledging shouted requests for comment. Vice Mayor Darrin Hill and Ward 4 Councilor Charlie Cuthbert also left without reacting.
Petersburg’s media and government relations director Joanne Williams, who normally speaks on the city’s behalf, did not attend the meeting. Asked by The Progress-Index if a statement will be released, Williams responded, “I will ask.”
Cordish/BSE was chosen over Bally’s Corporation, Penn Entertainment, Rush Street Gaming and the partnership of The Warrenton Group and entertainment company Delaware North to get the casino business, which still must pass a November referendum before any shovels can be turned.
Myers shed some light on the decision reached after a 90-minute closed session discussing the casino. He said Davenport & Co., Petersburg’s chief financial advisor, issued a report urging council to choose Cordish.
The five vendors had a chance April 14 to plead their cases in a town hall meeting sponsored by state Sen. Lashrecse Aird, the chief co-patron of legislation establishing Petersburg as the fifth Virginia city to host a casino and nurture Virginia’s foray into the gambling industry. After failed attempts in the last two General Assembly sessions, Aird led the legislative effort for Petersburg to replace Richmond in the original 2019 bill that also named Bristol, Danville, Norfolk and Portsmouth as host cities.
The deal was all but sealed April 17 during the reconvened session when Aird persuaded her colleagues to back Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s request removing House of Delegates-generated language that would have required a second Assembly vote before the referendum could be held.
Aird told The Progress-Index in a statement, “During the reconvened session, the General Assembly took action to move [Senate Bill] 628 forward, which allows Petersburg to be an eligible host city and move towards a referendum on a casino. As a result, the city had the responsibility for the next steps which included the selection of an operator, which they have formally now done.”
Bill Atkinson (he/him/his) is an award-winning journalist who covers breaking news, government and politics. Reach him at batkinson@progress-index.com or on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @BAtkinson_PI.
This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: Petersburg council goes with Cordish to build its casino dreams
