The Citizens for Good Growth in Rockingham County Inc. is the David that went up against the Goliath of the casino gambling industry and won.
Legalizing four new casinos in North Carolina was supposed to be in the North Carolina 2023-2025 budget bill, but the Citizens for Good Growth led the fight to keep that legislation out of the bill and garnered enough support in the state House to defeat it.
As a result of that action, expanded casino gambling won’t be coming to the state this year.
What got the folks in Rockingham County involved in fighting against legalizing more casinos in North Carolina was a 192-acre tract on US 220 near the Guilford County line that the Rockingham County Board of Commissioners rezoned to a zoning district that would allow a massive casino complex to be built on the site.
This week, the Citizens for Good Growth issued a press release with more information about why the Rockingham County commissioners ignored the hundreds of residents who came to their meeting to oppose the rezoning and instead voted unanimously to rezone the tract.
According to the press release, Rockingham County Commissioner Kevin Berger, who is the son of President Pro Tem of the state Senate Sen. Phil Berger (R-Rockingham), “admitted that the Rockingham County Commissioners undertook efforts earlier this year to investigate and attract a business involved in casino gambling, an activity that has been and continues to be unlawful in North Carolina.”
The press release states, “Commissioner Berger explained that a trip was taken by Commissioners earlier this year to a Maryland casino affiliated with The Cordish Companies. Commissioner Berger did not explain why he is now free to share information about the secret casino trip but likened withholding information of the trip to recent economic development activities with Ruger and Purina.”
Under the North Carolina open meetings law, secret meetings of elected bodies are not allowed. Meetings to discuss economic development projects can be closed to the public, but the elected body is still required to notify the public of the time and place of those meetings.
The Cordish Companies has connections with NC Development Holdings that requested the rezoning of the 192-acre tract in Rockingham County.
Caught red handed and I’m glad they were. Unfortunately there will be no punishment but I would hope there would be. Again and again our elected officials are unaccountable for their actions.
Time to take both the Bergers to the train station. They don’t represent us.
Maybe not this time, but casinos are coming.
“… a trip was taken … to a Maryland casino affiliated with The Cordish Companies (which) has connections with NC Development Holdings that requested the rezoning of the 192-acre tract in Rockingham County … earlier this year (by) Rockingham County Commissioners … to investigate and attract a business involved in casino gambling, … an activity that has been and continues to be unlawful in North Carolina … Under the North Carolina open meetings law, secret meetings of elected bodies are not allowed … According to … Rockingham County Commissioner Kevin Berger, who is the son of President Pro Tem of the state Senate Sen. Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) … likened withholding information of the trip to recent economic development activities … (which they are) still required to notify the public of the time and place of those meetings.”
This info reminds me of how Scott once landed in Hawaii before the Guilford County Commissioners did surprising them so they were made accountable. Whoever discovered this nugget about the gambling trip to MD by the Commissioners forcing them to show their hand has done a great job exposing the tie to Berger at least in the case of Rockingham County. What about the other proposed locations, were their local governments involved in gambling vacations for bribery also? Just curious. Keep up the good work and we might be able to stop this mess completely.
Brooks Pierce was the law firm representing NC Development Holdings when an attorney with Brooks Pierce approached the landowner in Nash County about purchasing his land. The landowner stated that the name of the purchaser or the intended use of the land was not disclosed to the landowner before agreeing to sell the land. A casino was never mentioned. NC Development Holdings is connected to The Cordish Company in Baltimore, Maryland. Cordish is a family-owned development business that is heavily involved in gambling and entertainment venues. They produce nothing.
The song and dance performed by the Brooks Pierce lawyer is the classic example of voluntary annexation and subsequent and immediate zoning. The immediate zoning denies people their constitutional right to petition the government. The NC legislature is responsible for voluntary annexation. The word voluntary sounds so pure. Voluntary? Who could be opposed? A law firm representing an unknown buyer will sweet-talk to a landowner, flash a lot of cash around and convince the landowner to sell the land. In the meanwhile, ordinary citizens are who will be affected by the purchase are left in the dark until it is too late. Cities love voluntary annexation because it gives cities cover. Again, it is all voluntary. Money talks and cities and developers know this.
Brooks Pierce was involved in the land purchase for a needless school at Boylston Rd and S. Bunker Hill Rd.
If you are a landowner and Brooks Pierce comes calling, it would be judicious of you to be very cautious. The lawyer at Brooks Pierce who negotiated the deal with the Nash County owner served as past commerce secretary for Roy Cooper. It is all one big web of deceit.
As a lifelong resident of Rockingham
County, This doesn’t surprise me. Corruption is real here, Laws,Courts,and of course majority of the County Commissioners lie like a rug and corrupt! It has always been about ,”The Good Ol Boy’s Club”. If you have Money then you can pay your way out of almost anything.
It’s just messed up that all the people that was at the county commissioner’s monthly meetings fighting for no casino in there area and to be lied too. If you have not watched,Go back and watch these meetings and the looks on each of the commissioner’s members reactions….Crooked Liars. Quacks!
The commissioners in your county (Rockingham) who are running in 2024 should be voted out. County commissioners in general do not serve their constituents but neither do your Raleigh representatives, senate, and house. Your senator is Phil Berger. If he runs, vote him out. He does not represent the will of the Rockingham voters. If he should be so bold to run for another office, perhaps congress, and Republicans would be so dense to nominate him, do not cast your vote for Berger.
Sure they are for it. “Creates” a lot of jobs – with a negative impact on the gamblers.