Hunter
05/25/22
Cedar Rapids Mayor Tiffany O’Donnell says she communicated with Governor Kim Reynolds Tuesday and asked her not to sign the two-year casino moratorium bill that was swiftly passed before the Iowa Legislature adjourned.
The Gazette reports that the request fall on deaf ears, as Elite Casino Resorts Chief Executive Officer Dan Kehl, a staunch opponent of a casino in Cedar Rapids, donated thousands of dollars to Republican leadership, including $5000 to Reynolds re-election campaign, through a political action committee in 2021.
O’Donnell told reporters that adding the moratorium at the last minute to a broader gaming and gambling bill feels like dirty politics, saying “whether you are for against the casino, this is not good practice.”
The governor’s spokesperson, Alex Murphy, didn’t comment on the bill, but did say that Reynolds and her team do a full review of any and all bills that come to her. He added that she has 30 days post-session to sign any bills.
The newspaper reports that Kehl operates the Riverside and Davenport casinos, and is expanding into Nebraska and Illinois. His influence may have led Republican leadership to stop Cedar Rapids from their goal of obtaining a casino license.
The Gazette’s check of Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board records shows Kehl’s Elite PAC gave $15,000 each to House Speaker Pat Grassley and Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver, $5,000 to Rep. Bobby Kaufmann of Wilton and $5,000 to Sen. Roby Smith of Davenport, who ran the amendment for the moratorium. All of them voted for the bill.
Mayor O’Donnell said that while the casino was a big part of the city’s economic development, being denied one won’t stop the city’s growth of jobs and businesses.
