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Should both sides in the Linn County casino vote fully disclose their finances?
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Columnist Todd Dorman believes that both supporters and opponents of the upcoming Linn County casino referendum should fully disclose their campaign finance records — even though they’re not legally obligated to do so.
“The warring factions in the Cedar Rapids casino fight do agree on something,” Dorman wrote in a column titled “Show us the money now.” “Neither side plans to release any campaign finance information until it’s absolutely legally necessary. That’s 4:30 p.m.on Feb. 28, just days before the March 5 countywide referendum vote. And that report won’t cover any contributions or spending in the last 10 furious days.
“It’s a lousy way to run a democracy,” Dorman adds. “State laws should be changed. Voters deserve to know early and often who is paying for pricey efforts to win their votes. We’re tired of guessing games.
“But there’s nothing in those campaign finance laws that says campaigns can’t release finance reports at any time they please. They could show voters today. Instead, they’ll dump the goods just before a vote and hope the lateness of the hour mutes the splash.”
What do you think? Should both sides in the casino referendum fully disclose their campaign finances — ahead of the Feb. 28 legal deadline?
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I’m undecided on the casino issue. I would really like full disclosure regarding who is financing both campaigns.
We have some understanding, but not a complete understanding, about where the “yes” money is coming from.
We have no idea where the “no” money is coming from. I suspect that a lot, maybe most, of the “no” money is coming from outside interests. I’d really like to know for sure where the money is coming from.
To some degree my vote will based on the information we have (or don’t have) regarding where the money is coming from for these campaigns.
Of course they should. The sad part is that the law is so pitifully lax to require such late disclosure.
Common sense tells where the money is coming from on both sides. The yes money is coming from people who think the downtown area is the only part of the city that needs anything and everything, and the no money is coming from all the other casinos that will be hurt by the Cedar Rapids casino. Also, since the other cities get a better percentage of the money from the casinos, they might even have a little invested in a no vote because Cedar Rapids only is going to get the bare bottom basement percentage that the law requires.
I really don’t care who puts up the money for the ads on either side. I am more interested in where the casino would be built. away from downtown would be a yes vote and downtown or not knowing where brings a no vote.
I can guess where most of the money is coming from on both sides, but would love to see official lists. What I care about most is where the casino will be built if it passes and gets a license. I will vote NO if it is going downtown (pretty safe wager). Unknown location, still voting NO. If I see one more “Meat Lady” ad, I am voting NO.
Yes! Neither side should have anything to hide! I do believe the Citys cut should be 6% though!
I am more concerned about the details of the contract than a detailed donors list. Where will it be built, the small % they are offering, what are the long term goals for spending/maintaining those projects and how long can someone sit on that committee?
I think it should go downtown with trolley service around the bars, resturants and city owned hotel in that area.
First, the opinions of biased newspaper reporters do not sway me. We’ve created laws we should follow them. If the opinion writer doesn’t like the law he should seek to change it by the normal process.
I really don’t care where the money comes from. I assume all advertising has a bias from the person or entity that paid for it. Who paid for doesn’t really provide any more information that I cannot sort out on my own.
The problem is people, including the media, are too lazy to sort it out. They just want to be able to point fingers and make ad hominen style attacks against people or groups for having opinions in the first place that differ from theirs.
Regardless of where the money is coming from, we need to address a very pertinent question: Is the proposed casino and the new convention center one in the same? Voters should be concerned with the issue because the paying for the convention center has been a MYSTERY to citizens all along. How are we going to pay for this convention center? I think that those who are in the back pocket of the decision makers in Cedar Rapids are the ones advocating the casino because then the convention center will be paid for in full.
However, I disagree with the idea of a casino in Linn county because there is no guarantee that the jobs which it will create will actually affect the most desperate citizens needs of a steady income for his or her families.