ST. TAMMANY PARISH, La. — St. Tammany Parish is expected to have the largest voter turnout in the state tomorrow, around 30%.
And that’s with only one item on the ballot: The Camellia Bay Casino and Hotel in Slidell.
It became a hot-button issue across the parish, with well-known people on both sides working to sway voters.
On a hot and humid day on the Northshore, there is no shortage of people out and about, and no shortage of opinions and even early voters on the proposed Camellia Bay Casino and Hotel for Slidell. On their minds, there's the money issue.
“I voted no because I think it's all about the money, and the people coming in to put this together are not from here,” one voter said.
“I am for it, and the thing is, I know almost all of my friends are against it, but I feel like, why should Mississippi get all the money?” another voter said.
That voter didn't want friends to know she disagrees.
There's also the crime aspect. Law enforcement leaders have all come out against it. That's one reason St. Timothy United Methodist lead pastor is telling his congregation to vote no.
“We believe that our friends and neighbors in Slidell don't want this in their community. We wouldn't want it in our community, so we want to support our friends and neighbors in Slidell,” Pastor James Mitchell said.
“It has to be a community sort of embracing along with law enforcement. As far as how it's going to work if one of those are off then I think it could be a fracture in the whole community that could cause some serious damage,” one voter said.
Then there's the issue of jobs on people's minds. A woman who worked for a casino in Maryland called its opening a blessing.
“It brought more jobs. It did bring money to the community from tourism and everything like that, and all the funds did go where they said they were supposed to go,” the voter said.
But another voter is worried about the friends she worked with at the Blind Tiger in Slidell.
“So, all of those people working there are going to lose their jobs for a few months because they're going to be shut down for remodeling and renovations and everything.”
Many we spoke with were familiar with the issues pros and cons.
“Oh my gosh, there's a ton of flyers every day, and even the little newspapers that make it look like it's something official, and it's just so much money that's being spent,” noted one voter.
And direct mailers coming into people's homes isn't the only thing that money's being spent on. You've been seeing the commercials all over television. In fact, the people for the casino already spent more than $3 million on ads.
And an opposition group has reportedly spent $1 million. Tomorrow we will learn if it paid off.