Joe Drennan
Staff Writer

After weeks of waiting, Ramsey County Court Judge M. Michael Monahan came back with a decision on the Columbus Concerned Citizens lawsuit against the Minnesota Racing Commission. Last Monday Monahan dismissed the case.

Shortly after the North Metro Harness Initiative came to Columbus Township asking to build a $47.5 million facility located on 163 acres of land just north of Gander Mountain on Freeway Dr., employing about 300 people, featuring 50 days of live racing each year and a card room offering blackjack and poker, the CCC formed as a group opposing the track for various reasons.

One of the CCCís biggest reasons for opposing the NMHI proposal is the groups opposition to the expansion of gambling. The CCC also argued that the infrastructure around the proposed site is inadequate and the affect the track would have on crime is not worth the risk.

At the town board level, the track passed by a vote of 4-1, passing the decision on to the MRC.

The CCC filed a lawsuit against the MRC after their decision to grant the NMHI a class A and B license in January, citing that the MRC had violated open meeting rules after their initial denial of a class A and B license for NMHI. The CCC felt that conversations via e-mail and phone between MRC commissioners and representatives of NMHI were illegal and led to the reconsideration vote.

Monahan criticized the MRC in December when the CCC filed lawsuit to prevent the MRC from holding a meeting to take a re-vote on issuing a class A and B license to NMHI. Monahan said the MRC should have a better understanding of the rules at which they abide by. That lawsuit was also dismissed.

Monahan says he dismissed the case because the CCC had not proved their allegations that the MRC acted illegally when they issued the licenses.

Unhappy with the outcome, the CCC says theyíll file an appeal of Monahanís ruling.

The CCC has another lawsuit in the Minnesota Court of Appeals right now questioning it the MRCís ruling to allow the licenses to NMHI was legal in the first place. If that lawsuit is also dropped, work on the harness track and card room could begin shortly after that barring any more legal action.

There is no indication when the lawsuit in the Minnesota Court of Appeals will be settled, but both sides, the CCC and MRC, are sure that whatever the decision theyíll have to wait through an appeal from the losing side.

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