After nearly seven hours of impassioned public debate, a sharply divided St. Tammany Parish Council voted 8-6 to put a referendum on a proposed Slidell-area casino on the Nov. 13 ballot, a significant step forward for the controversial project.
Parish voters will essentially be asked if they want to undo their 1996 vote to ban casino gambling, at least for a specific site in the parish, which would open the way for a $325 million casino resort on a plot of land near Lake Pontchartrain. Given the high stakes, it’s assured the referendum will spur a pitched campaign lasting into the fall.
Voting for the measure were Councilmembers Mike Lorino, Rykert Toledano, Maureen O’Brien, Jimmie Davis, Steve Stefancik, Martha Cazaubon, Marty Dean and Cheryl Tanner.
