Commentary; Posted: 3/2/05
Gambling real question in Columbus vote
By Cliff Buchan
It would be safe to say that in most years the annual March township elections in the Forest Lake area have been ho-hum contests with little public interest. Not this year. That is far from the case in Columbus Township.
As township voters prepare to head to the polls next Tuesday for the annual election, a strong turnout is expected in Columbus where one town board supervisor will be elected to a three-year term. The election pits two-term incumbent Supervisor Renae Fry against challenger Glen Miles.
Weíd prefer to see elections decided on the qualifications and strengths of the candidates but in the case of Columbus Township, that is not likely to be the reason. This election may well go down as a referendum of the town boardís approval of the North Metro Harness Initiative project that is slated to bring a harness racing track and card room to Columbus in 2006.
As a town board member, Fry has been involved in the approval process and establishing the special conditions that the track developer will be required to follow. The track has also won approval from the Minnesota Racing Commission.
Miles is an opponent of the track and a co-founder of Columbus Concerned Citizens, the local group that is contesting in court the racing commissionís approval.
Our recommendation to voters in this election is Renae Fry.
We have no bones to pick with Glen Miles. He is a fine family man who has lived in Columbus his entire life. He has been active in his church and with the Boy Scouts. He has stepped forward with an offer to serve his community and we respect that.
We like Fryís experience at the township level with six years on the town board and three years on the planning commission. Her professional training as a lawyer provides invaluable expertise to the township. She has used her skills to the benefit of the township in many ways over the past nine years. Her family has lived in Columbus for just under 15 years and she is representative of the many newcomers who now call Columbus home.
Those opposed to Fry are also opposed to gambling and gambling will come to Columbus via the track and the card games. Those who are ardent opponents of gambling believe the town board did not listen or do enough in seeking other forms of business development for the freeway corridor where North Metro will build its facility.
As we understand the process, the town board and planning commission fashioned a tight conditional use permit that will protect the township and give it clout to exert authority down the road, if needed. The track developers have agreed to minimum tax payments of no less than $227,000 a year, will provide another $88,000 a year for township needs that include police and fire protection and pay its fair assessments for sewer, water and roads.
Fry deserves credit for her efforts in taking steps to protect the township while helping bring a business to the area that will create jobs, tax base, future business development and provide the area with an entertainment venue.
Some will argue that the track and card club is no more than a stepping-stone for the developers who will eventually seek a casino operation with slot machines for the facility. That remains a possibility as state legislators continue to banter over casino proposals that include a racino at horse race tracks. The Columbus track could be part of a state legislative move this session.
In light of the public opposition that has surfaced, we donít believe Columbus officials would move in that direction. No expansion or change in the trackís permit would be possible without town board approval in any case. And that is just what state officials have in mind.
Steve Sviggum, Speaker of the Minnesota House, said in an interview with the ECM Editorial Board last Friday that he could go along with a state gambling package that might include the racino proposal at one or two sites in the metro area. Speaker Sviggum would insist on local approval.
ìI would want the local community to have a say,î Sviggum said.
Like it or not, gambling is in our fair state right now through Native American casinos, the state lottery, and local charitable gambling. It is an optional activity that leaves the decision to those who choose to play or not play. And as Minnesotans, most of us have gambled at one time or another, according to opinion surveys. The scope of the North Metro proposal, coupled with its financial commitments to Columbus, make this project worthy of consideration.
We give Renae Fry high marks for having the courage and conviction to look at the Columbus issue as an impartial public official. The town board carefully weighed the pros and cons and crafted guidelines and financial commitments that protect the township and generate commercial tax base that will go far in easing everyoneís property tax payments. It is this kind of leadership that is needed on the town board if Columbus Township is to attract other new businesses to the freeway corridor and expand its commercial tax base.
Forest Lake Times
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