Shock of Shocks: Tri-State Casino backing away from commitments March 3, 2008
Who’d a thunk it?
Now, I can’t imagine there were many people who would have EVER thought that the minute Tri-State narrowly won their election here in Kanawha County, they would immediately begin backing away from many major commitments they made. (yes, that’s sarcasm)
They’ve had one heck of a month in terms of… well… screwing over people left and right (sorry, couldn’t think of a more direct term to use).
Let’s see… in the last month… let’s review the case history.
Case#1 - ZMM and the West Virginia Symphony
Tri-State dumped one of the best Architectural firms in West Virginia, ZMM in Charleston. ZMM alone rounded up enough people to give Tri-State its whopping mandate of 330 votes. (sorry, can’t help but comment, but that campaign will easily go down as the most costly, worst run, issue-campaign in the history of the state)
The loss to ZMM?
Well, they didn’t say, but let’s figure out the math. A $250 million expansion (yeah, right, but let’s say it’s true). Architectural firms normally get 6% of the total cost as their fees, but with such a large project, my guess is they took 5%.
So, 5% of $250 million? $12.5 million.
Ouch.
Knowing the charitable works of ZMM, a chunk of their profits would have went to the West Virginia Symphony and other charities they so strongly support.
The final kick in the teeth?
ZMM was notified about their dimissal - in the Charleston Daily Mail.
Case#2? The Senior Citizens of the state.
Remember the TV commercial that a bubbly Sandy Vanin, head of the Bureau of Senior Services, made?
It was sickening on its face that Vanin would allow our Senior Citizens bureau to serve in the capacity of pole dancers for the campaign, but Vanin was simply orgasmic on the commercials about Tri-State. (again, another first, I’ve never, ever seen a cabinet secretary as the lead on a TV commercial for a campaign of any sort, let alone one for gambling).
What does Tri-State turn around and do? It swindles the senior citizens out of $500,000 by purposely delaying their application. And, their plan was to completely walk on the entire $1.5 MM for this year.
Trust me, the behind the scenes on this was that Manchin went ABSOLUTELY BALLISTIC when he heard the news that Tri-State was completely backing out of getting a license for this year. I don’t know what the conversation was, but I heard Manchin nearly had Tri-State leader, Dan Adkins, lined up for a firing squad.
After an expletive-laced tongue lashing from Manchin, Adkins and Tri-State gave the state a “gift” of $1,000,000.
Once again, a breathless Vanin was front and center for the presentation. I’ve never seen anyone so happy about getting $500,000 less than they were supposed to have received. And, the cajones to call a press conference to announce it? Holy smokes.
Of course, Manchin couldn’t go public on his rage, and had to put on a happy face (i.e., Vanin, who seems unbelievable excited anytime gambling is mentioned), but behind the scenes, Manchin is still fuming over this turn of events.
And, hey, how can you blame him? He stuck his neck out for Tri-State, allowed his administration to be used as the house prostitute for the campaign, and then within six months gets kicked in the groin by the casino’s leaders.
My comment to Manchin and Vanin is what Bruce Willis said after shooting up a car of a clueless police officer who wasn’t seeing a terrorist takeover in front of his very own eyes in the movie Die Hard…
“Welcome to the party, pal!”
Case#3? Kanawha County.
You had to love one of the very first moves was Tri-State trying to claim that all the property they owned that was going to be part of this glorious expansion was worth… umm.. $0. That one cracked me up.
Tri-State went to war with the county over their tax assessment. Their original assessment was $29.5 MM. The county said with the expansion coming up increased the value of their land and the total assessment was $36.5 MM.
Tri-State fought the county and brought in someone to say it really was only worth $26.5 MM (despite the fact that they didn’t fight last year’s $29.5 MM assessment).
Where did it end up? The county curled into a fetal position and went with $30.5 MM.
One of the funnier comments I had heard was from the attorney for the Assessor who said they felt it was fair because they compromised “in the middle.”
Huh?
How in the heck is $30.5 MM compromising in the middle when the assessment started off at $29.5 MM?
Tri-State had to be kicking itself for not saying it’s property was ONLY worth $15 MM and they then could have ‘compromised” at $25 MM… if they only knew the county’s definition of “middle.”
Now, the irony here is had any other major entity out there tried to fight an assessment like that, I’m sorry, but Kent Carper would have had their leaders burning at the stake in front of the courthouse before it was over.
But, again, to keep the behind the scenes from boiling over, the commission accepted a $1 MM increase in value.
Case #4? Kathy Brackbill.
Geez Louise, how would you like to be her right now?
Not only was she the face of the campaign, but she was the lead cheerleader of how great and honest Tri-State was.
Her reward?
A new boss between her and Dan Adkins when there wasn’t one before. Ouch.
Most of us in the corporate world call that… a demotion.
Let’s put it this way, it’s not a positive if your boss, who has been your boss for years, walks into your office and says, “Hey, GREAT news, I’m bringing in someone to report to me and you are now going to report to that person!” Trust me, that isn’t GREAT news.
Brackbill’s comments? (that’s crickets chirping)
Well, they couldn’t reach her (amazing how she was in every media press account during the campaign and now all of a sudden she’s… gone dark… Jack Bauer-style).
When asked about Brackbill, Adkins comment?
“I’m not unhappy with her.”
Double Ouch.
I used those same words about a couple of ex-wives and we all know where that led within a few months.
Case #5? The Tri-State employees.
Remember those folks on the commercials?
Weeping that they had the best jobs in the whole wide world and how if they didn’t get table games passed, their children would be starving in the streets and they’d have to become street beggars in Tiajuana?
They found out they were getting a new leader and name, Brackbill was being demoted, a local architect was getting canned, and expansion plans had been delayed…. in the Charleston Daily Mail.
Triple ouch.
Geez, let’s see, is there anyone else Tri-State has put the boots to in the last month? Hmm… let’s think.
Oh, well, the city of Charleston.
How? Well… one… all the vast riches that Tri-State and table games was going to bring (think PacMan Jones “making it rain” at a gentleman’s club) is going to be delayed for some time.
But, more direct is the loss of ZMM. How?
ZMM is based in Charleston which means no B&O taxes on their fees.
What’s 1% of $12.5 million? $125,000. Plus, at least four people will lose their jobs at ZMM. Bye, bye user fee, and B&O when those employees won’t be in Charleston to buy lunch and shop.
That and just the simple fact that it was Charleston that passed Table Games over the objections of those who warned that Tri-State would either sell out the place or simply not deliver on the thousands of “high-paying housekeeping jobs” that they promised to deliver.
Of course, many of us are simply shocked that Tri-State would not be living up to its end of the bargain.
Like I said at the beginning of this post, who’d a thunk it?
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24 Responses to “Shock of Shocks: Tri-State Casino backing away from commitments”
WOW!! People involved in the gambling industry are not pillars of virtue. Next, Vic, you will question their character.
Some of us have known for years that the State should not be involved in gambling industry in the various permutations presented by them.
We hear the usual arguments: “people want to do it”; “people will do it anyway”; “we might as well make it legal and then TAX it and require licenses”.
To arguments such as those which are often used to stuff something umpleasant/unthinkable down the public throat, I propose that we legalize murder and just tax it!! After all, some want to murder others, some will murder people anyway, so we might was well make it legal and tax it. Perhaps we should just sell the licenses sort of like deer tags.
By-the-way, was it not a plane or helicopter from Tri-State which was ferrying Emperor Joseph around West Virginia when he was running for governor??
A tiger IS a tiger.
I hope Tri-State finds a way to stick it to His Royal Highness Danny Jones next.
Those of us who voted against table games hate to say “We told you so”, but…
lol, awesome post, Vic. I loved the “I’m not unhappy with her.” don’t we all wish our bosses gave us such a resounding endorsement?
If an owner said that about a coach in the NFL, that coach better get his bags packed because he’s going to get canned.
Did anyone expect Tri-State to invest all the money they promised during the election ?
Mass droves of people from other States are NOT going to come here to gamble.
Why would anyone come to a dingy casino (ever been to tri-state ?) overlooking scenic I64 and situated in picturesque town of Cross Lanes.
$ 350 round trip airfare to Las Vegas and $ 80/night rooms on the strip is where to money goes.
Table games in Cross Lanes will be an opportunity for more poor West Virginians to lose what little money they have.
“Economic Development” West Virginia Style !
Good analysis, and precisely what we principled opponents of gambling could have predicted all along.
One minor point: it’s even worse in indirect impact than stated, because 5% of the proposed $250 million construction = $12.5 million, not $1.25 million.
I still wonder also about the way the recount was done, where they tricked the lady into thinking it would cost tens of thousands of dollars, when in fact it only took 1 1/2 hours to recount the small number of precincts she thought the ant-gambling group could afford.
I am so surprised you folks do not have a better idea to bring 300 no 500 no 1000 jobs to the area. If you recall that was the comment by the Mayor of Charlie town to the opposition.
This reminds me of unsolicited sex with out getting kissed.
I knew this would happen from the beginning! I argued this with the supporters on the streets with their propaganda booths.
“…profits would have went…?” HAVE WENT?
Since they breeched their contract and conditions with the voters…can’t we revoke this law and make it illegal again?
I’m not saying this to be toungue and cheek. I’m very serious.
Vic, isn’t their some legality in this to revoke this now? There should be rule of law to control this type of fraud.
Please consider this!!! Talk with some constitutional lawyers and so forth.
REVOKE ‘EM!!!
Mike - you read that entire commentary and all you came out of it with was “have went?”
Vic - “who’d have thunk it?” Aren’t you a chemical engineer? Don’t you know that ‘thunk’ is not a word from Webster’s Ninth? What were you thinking?
Does anyone still believe the expansion will cost 250 million? Watch for cuts here also.
Vic - This piece on Tri State is hilarious! It is your best piece of work ever! I’m laughing out loud in the office reading the ‘that’s crickets chirping’ part….
Mayor Jones was running around asking “where’s your 500 jobs?” (that’s when the claim was 500, I think by the end of the election there were going to end poverty as we know it with 5,000 jobs).
I guess the question back to Danny is… “Where’s your $125,000?” Trust me, folks, this is just the start.
Well, if Tri-State doesn’t pump all that cash into Charleston, I hear Danny has a plan “B”
Increase the number of radar equipped cruisers and start enforcing “safety” on every street and in every neighborhood. That should be good for some of the income loss. Yes, we will loose some police manpower on the West side to accomplish this but what the heck… we lost that to the crack dealers anyway. At least we can fund the massive pension and health care costs of our City employees.
Mayor Danny will have to get more meter maids out on the streets now.
Brackbill must be in hiding. She really took it on the chin. Whether or not you liked her, she worked her as@ off in that campaign to get this thing passed and her reward is a demotion? That’s not very nice….
I happened to be in the Senate Judiciary Committee to see how another matter played out. And a whole big debate appeared on some bill regarding rule making for the lottery commission and all the gambling fun. I listened to Senator Barnes object to a line in the language which basically said that if the lottery commission found a particular rule too burdensome, they didn’t have to abide by it.
Um, say again? “We only have to abide by rules if we like them?”
Barnes rightfully objected to this language quite vocally.
It passed the committee anyway.
I just sat in the corner chuckling. West Virginians crack me up. We vote these clowns into office then gripe about the big floppy shoes.
While you are passing out the praise do not forget the “Commish”
Folks you do not matter, I cannot count the times I have heard the “Commish” say trust me!!
While you are passing out the praise do not forget the “Commish”
Folks you do not matter, I cannot count the times I have heard the “Commish” say trust me!! I believe we can say that Danny Jones and“ The Commish”may suffer with “Narcissistic personality disorder, a condition characterized by an inflated sense of self-importance and an extreme preoccupation with one’s self.
I remember years ago they promised a hotel which is a empty parking lot, boxing arena the boxing is on TV, big time entertainment is our local bands? Those lies got them 1,500 slot machines! We all know kent Carper, the govenor, Hoppy shores & the mayor danny Jones are in bed with the dog track! Also all you people who called us no people idiots, stupid & gave us the finger! Who is stupid now? Watch the track stick it to all you yes people!
Look for the main contractor to be next.
“We feel more more comfortable using the out of state contractor that we’re familiar with.”
Let’s hear it for the Vote No Grassroots folks who were cursed at, given the middle finger, and harrassed by those promoting table games. We knew what was coming…unfullfilled commitments by the gambling proponents. All of the leaders, whether they are city, county, or state who endorsed table games, owe an apology to our citizens for their lack of leadership and very poor judgement. A very wise person once said: “You can’t get in the pigpen without getting mud on yourself”. It looks like some of our mayors and city council members, some of the Kanawha County Commission, and some of the WV Legislators are going to have expensive dry cleaning bills!
Vic, we knew this was going to happen. Thanks for calling out Tri-State. I smell re-call.
Recall Recall Recall Recall Recall! Vic we need your help on this?
There could be a recall before any die is cast, before any roulette wheel is spun, before any card is played. Tri-State (ummm Mardi Gras Gaming) cares only about Tri-State (umm Mardi Gras Gaming). Those who thought the track actually cared about them (ie. senior citizen directors, mayors, county commissioners, the Governor) are apparently just chumps. Who could actually believe their promises?