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Measure would give voters power to veto casino

Thursday, Feb. 24, 2005 | 9:27 a.m.

ST. PAUL -- Voters in a city targeted for an urban casino would be able to vote it up or down under a bill being pushed by legislators from Bloomington, one of the top sites being considered.

The bill, reviewed Wednesday by a House of Representatives committee, is a potential stumbling block for Gov. Tim Pawlenty's plan for the state to embark on a casino partnership with three Indian tribes from northern Minnesota. While the governor has said he'd ask any local city council to approve a casino, he's not yet signed off on a citywide vote.

Bloomington's Mall of America is seen as a top prospect for a new casino. The mall's owners, the Canada-based Ghermezian family, are touting a casino as a centerpiece of their $1 billion "Phase II" mall development plans.

Rep. Ann Lenczewski, DFL-Bloomington, said her constituents deserve to have a say on a proposal she said would fundamentally alter the city's character.

"I'm pleading on behalf of my city," Lenczewski, the bill's chief sponsor, told the House Gaming Division.

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