Richmond, Virginia will vote on a casino referendum tomorrow, but Paul Goldman, Chair of the No Means No Casino committee, has challenged its potential developers to a debate. Urban One and Churchill Downs submitted a rebrand plan for their Richmond Grand Resort & Casino in September after a development was originally approved in 2021.
In August, a circuit court suspended the vote on a 2022 referendum for the potential casino; in September Richmond city officials promised that tax revenue from the casino would go to affordable childcare funds; and in October the casino developers held a block party and free concert at one of the city’s voting locations as part of their $8m campaign.
Goldman also won a lawsuit against the Virginia State Board of Elections after it would not provide voter registration lists, which are usually available to committees, such as No Means No Casino.
The anti-casino committee chair stated recently, “In the interest of my city, and all our people, those opposed to the casino are willing to debate the pro-side this Monday night.”
According to local reports, the debate was sparked not only by the back-and-forth referendums over the casino development during the past two years, but also due to a host on a radio station owned by Urban One Richmond using an antisemitic remark to refer to Goldman as, a “white Jew with the background of Judas.”
Spokesman for the casino developers, Alfred Liggins III, said, “We have been in every neighborhood in Richmond sharing our plan to create 1,300 good paying jobs, generate $30 million in tax revenue, and invest a half billion dollars in Southside. If anyone else has a plan to achieve that, we would be happy to discuss it, but we haven’t seen one.”
It is unclear whether a formal debate will take place, but voting will commence tomorrow. Urban One and Churchill Downs have spent around $10m campaigning for the potential $562m casino. Goldman and No Means No Casino have raised around $336,000 in comparison.
