Barbour woos conservatives on plan for onshore casinos

Emily Wagster Pettus

Thursday, Sept. 29, 2005 | 10:05 a.m.

JACKSON, Miss. -- Gov. Haley Barbour found himself in an unusual position Wednesday, hearing "no" from some conservative lawmakers who are normally his staunchest allies.

The Republican governor appeared before the Legislative Conservative Coalition to discuss his proposal to let coast casinos move up to 1,500 feet onshore.

Barbour -- who called lawmakers into a special session this week to handle Hurricane Katrina recovery issues -- spoke in calm, even tones, saying he knows some people have religious objections to any change in the 1990 law that limits casinos to the waters of the Mississippi River or the Gulf of Mexico.

But he said it makes sense, for public safety and for financial reasons, to let the casinos move off the water where powerful storms are a constant threat.

Katrina severely damaged the 13 coast casinos when it hit Aug. 29, shredding the walls of some and hurling a few of the massive barges onto land.

Barbour's proposal doesn't affect the river casinos. It requires coast casinos to still have some facilities touching the water.

"A few hundred feet on shore is not going to affect the moral fabric of Mississippi," Barbour said.

Rep. Deryk Parker, R-Lucedale, said he believes casinos are morally wrong and should be outlawed altogether.

"You've said on several occasions that we've got an opportunity," Parker told Barbour. "Well, we do have an opportunity. We've got an opportunity right now to go back and fix a mistake that was made in the state of Mississippi in 1990. And I think we ought to seize that opportunity."

Before Katrina, the coast casinos employed about 14,000 people and generated about $500,000 a day in state and local taxes.

Parker said the coast could try to attract other industries to make up for lost jobs or tax revenues if casinos were banned.

"I just got an e-mail that said, 'I see where you're a Baptist. I disagree with you on the stance that you're taking. I hope your religion don't cloud your mind,' " Parker told Barbour. "But my religion's who I am."

Barbour replied: "Well, I respect that opinion. That's why they've got chocolate and vanilla. We don't always agree on stuff."

Another member of the Conservative Coalition, Rep. Bobby Shows, D-Ellisville, told the governor: "There's a lot of us Southern Baptists in a nine-way bind, and I'm one of them."

Shows said he favors letting casinos move a short distance onshore, but he fears that if he votes to allow that, he'll be ostracized in his church and his county and he won't be re-elected.

Barbour repeated that he understands some people have firmly held moral objections.

"But for the politics, I just say to hell with the politics," Barbour said. "My old boss, my hero and mentor, Ronald Reagan, he said, 'At the end of the day, good policy is good politics. If you do what's right, at the end of the day, the politics will take care of itself.'

"Now, all of these people who are outspoken against onshore, all voted for me. All of them voted for me. When I say all, it's as close to all as politically possible," Barbour said. "But I have to do what's right, and I don't think it's a close call."

The coalition's president, Rep. Joey Fillingane, R-Sumrall, told Barbour: "Many of us will not support you on this issue."

Barbour nodded.

Some Conservative Coalition members said they will vote with the governor.

Barbour was elected in 2003 with the help of business groups and social conservatives. He campaigned on preventing the spread of gambling, as did the Democratic incumbent he defeated, Ronnie Musgrove.