February 26, 2009

TAMMANY TOGETHER ANNOUNCES CASINO POLL RESULTS AND PANEL DISCUSSION
Poll gathered over 600 responses, large majority is against casino
Parish President Kevin Davis, State Treasurer John Kennedy to participate in April 20^th panel

On February 2, 2009, the grass-roots citizens’ group Tammany Together opened a poll on its web site to gauge the public’s reaction to St. Tammany Parish President Kevin Davis’s proposal to construct an entertainment district to be anchored by a casino on the Lake Pontchartrain shoreline near Slidell. Today, Tammany Together is announcing the results of its poll and is also announcing a casino panel discussion to be held on April 20^th that will include Parish President Kevin Davis and State Treasurer John Kennedy.

Although not a scientifically designed survey, Tammany Together’s poll was unbiased and open to the public, gathered responses anonymously, and allowed only a single submission from the same computer or Internet address. In the three weeks that the poll was open, 611 unique responses were gathered. Of those responding, 27% were for the casino proposal, 69% were against it, and 4% were neutral.

The poll asked respondents to provide their zip code. Almost all of the responses (595 out of 611) provided a St. Tammany zip code, and of those 27% were for, 69% were against, and 4% were neutral. Those from the Slidell area were somewhat more in favor of the casino, with 32% saying they were for it, but, even so, a large majority of the Slidell responses (63%) were against the idea.

The poll also asked whether the respondent was a member of Tammany Together in order to determine whether the poll results were biased by that fact. There was little variation in the responses from members vs. nonmembers. 27% of the respondents indicated that they were members, and 73% indicated that they were not. Members were 29% for, 66% against, and 5% neutral. Nonmembers were 26% for, 70% against, and 4% neutral.

The poll also provided an opportunity for respondents to submit anonymous comments. A summary showed that the majority of the comments by those who said they were in favor of the casino fell into the following categories:

• It would produce extra revenue
  
• Money will stay in St. Tammany instead of going to Mississippi
  
• It will revitalize Slidell
  
• It will lower property taxes
  
• Residents will have access to entertainment locally rather than having to travel outside of the parish

The most common comments against a casino were:

• The negative impact on the quality of life and the family-oriented nature of St. Tammany
  
• Gambling was rejected by voters 10 years ago and need not be voted on again
  
• Concerns about crime
  
• Concerns that politicians or their friends, and not the public, will be the major beneficiaries
  
• Desire for product-based industry in St. Tammany instead of service-based
  
• Concern that there will not be a net gain in revenue and that taxes will not be reduced as promoted
  
• Moral or religious objections, or concerns about negative impact on individuals

Finally, the poll asked whether Tammany Together should be active in the casino issue and take a position on it. 88% of those who responded, including majorities of those for, against, and neutral on the casino, said that it should. To date, Tammany Together has not taken a position on the casino, but it will continue to educate its members and the general public on the issue. To this end, the organization will hold a panel discussion on the proposal at its Annual Meeting on Monday, April 20, 2009. Parish President Kevin Davis and State Treasurer and St. Tammany resident John Kennedy have agreed to be on the panel, and an effort is being made to also include an academic expert on the economic and socio-cultural effects of casinos. Details on the meeting and panel discussion will be provided in a future press release.

Summaries of the poll results by city and zip code, a report comparing responses from Tammany Together members vs. nonmembers, and a listing of all comments left by respondents are available on the links page of the Tammany Together web site at www.tammanytogether.org/links.