Lingering concerns may delay Kane County revote on video gambling
If Hollie Lindgren had her way, Kane County would take another vote on video gambling next month and effectively rescind the current ban she voted to put in place. But the chairman of the county board's Legislative Committee got anything but her way on Tuesday when members of her committee wouldn't even propose a resolution to bring the vote back.
Lindgren said she changed her mind on a ban after talking to people literally shedding tears in fear that the state capital bill - and any jobs it will create - will evaporate without the video gambling leg of the bill's funding. But many of her fellow committee members reported the exact opposite.
County board member Jennifer Laesch said recent discussions with constituents told her that Aurora residents believe they have enough gambling in their community with a casino. They don't want video gambling on top of that. Other committee members, such as Tom Van Cleave, is so adamantly opposed to video gambling that he even bristled that a recent breakfast discussion with state lawmakers had a table set up specifically to discuss video gambling rather than just the capital bill as a whole.
But perhaps the biggest bristling arose when Lindgren reported that there is talk in Springfield about blocking any community that's banned video gambling from having any capital bill projects or benefits.
"So, they're holding us hostage?" asked committee member Sylvia Leonberger.
"I'm not saying they are threatening us," Lindgren replied. "I'm saying there's talk of it."
County board member Bonnie Kunkel said there's no substantive reason to reconsider the ban at this time.
"Now is a bad time to switch horses," Kunkel said. "It seems like the only thing precipitating this is the perception that we may not get capital funds in the future. The reason many people voted against this is that now is not the time to make a decision. We don't have any more information about the regulations. To change now just makes us seem indecisive and accomplishes nothing. Leave it alone until we know that any change would be a change for the positive."
Lindgren said after the meeting that she hasn't given up. She still has plans to see the county board reconsider the vote. But she believes she needs state lawmakers to assuage any doubts county board members still have. They already have Lindgren's newfound support.
"The bottom line is it's going to give us jobs," she said. "If the capital bill is one way of saving one home in Carpentersville and getting a man back to work or a wife back to work, I'm going to do it."