DANVILLE, Va. – Danville voters decide Tuesday whether they want a multi-million dollar casino-resort center on the former Schoolfield Mill site.
Caesar’s Entertainment has run an aggressive campaign to promote the venue, with the promise of a $400 million investment and 1,300 new jobs. Caesars chose Danville because of its revitalization efforts and its proximity to North Carolina.
A new, $17 million police station at 2291 Memorial Drive is contingent upon voter approval of the casino, because city leaders are depending on the revenue from the Schoolfield operation to help pay for the project.
Danville voters will also pick from three candidates to replace councilman Adam Tomer, who resigned in the middle of his term to accept a job in North Carolina. Former city councilman Fred Shanks, who lost his seat to Barry Mayo in May, is seeking reelection to the governing body. Also on the ballot Tuesday are council candidates Petrina Carter and Bryant Hood.
The winner of Tuesday’s election will serve the remainder of Tomer’s four-year term that ends June 30, 2022. Former Danville Mayor Sam Kusner was appointed to serve in the interim, until a special election could be held.
Voters in Danville and across Virginia will also decide a referendum that puts next year’s redistricting in Virginia in the hands of a bipartisan commission.
If successful, the commission of citizens and legislators will redraw the state’s congressional and General Assembly districts to conform with the 2020 Census.
The amendment would turn over the task of drawing state and congressional maps, beginning with the 2021 redistricting, to a 16-member panel of eight legislators and eight citizens, evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans. The eight citizens would be chosen by judges from a list prepared by legislators.
Some Democrats have tried to defeat the measure, arguing that the changes would keep politicians too involved in the process. Republicans have said that Democrats just want to ensure that they control the process now that they are in power.