Morrissey Defends Stance on Potential Casino Revenues

ROCKFORD - Machesney Park's mayor joins the list of Winnebago County towns and villages throwing their support behind an amendment to the bill that could eventually bring a casino to Rockford. 

The bill currently before the Illinois Senate (SB 1739) would bring a casino to Rockford and three other municipalities.  An amendment proposed by local senator Dave Syverson (R - 34^th Dist.) to the bill would make the city of Rockford split casino revenues with Winnebago County, each receiving 50 percent.

Mayor Morrissey fired back on Wednesday to his critics, saying he's all for sharing that potential revenue with other communities in Winnebago County - just not 50 - 50.  Morrissey says previous gambling legislation in which cities like Joliet, Aurora and Elgin received gaming venues - he says the state didn't predetermine how their money was supposed to be split up.

Morrissey says most of that revenue should stay within city limits.

"When Riverboat Gambling was originally passed, it wasn't to help out suburban areas that are already wealthy, that have low unemployment, it was to help places like Rockford, Illinois," said Morrissey.

Rockford's mayor agrees the other cities and towns in the county may be experiencing economic problems, but not like in Rockford.

"We're the area with the crime rate, the poverty rate that gaming was designed to address," said Morrissey.

But Machesney Park Mayor, Tom Strickland, says he thought the plan to split potential revenue 50 - 50 was the plan all along.

"I think indirectly Larry [Morrissey] did agree to the 50 - 50 in our meetings," said Strickland.  "There were at least three, four, five meetings."

However Morrissey denies those claims.

"Unless they're talking about something that pre-dated me, all of the recent years' discussions that have involved my administration have always been about local decision making," exclaimed Morrissey.

Morrissey says he'd like to see the decisions of splitting that potential gaming revenue made here in Winnebago County instead of in Springfield.  But multiple leaders, including Winnebago County Chairman Scott Christiansen, seem to like the state making that decision.

"There's room in there, money in there for everybody," said Strickland.  "Let's not get greedy.  Let's cooperate and work together."

Strickland says his biggest concern is that the legislation, without Syverson's amendment would give Rockford carte-blanche regarding the actual amount of revenue shared with surrounding communities.  He also says he's worried that the current wording of the legislation could allow Rockford to go back on any revenue sharing agreements if it's not already pre-determined by the state.