Beeker: Bingo wrong solution
Published 12:00 am Tuesday, November 11, 2003
Citizens in the county voted overhelmingly in favor of bingo. Beeker opposed the vote from the beginning.
In addition, "the bill was not drawn in a satisfactory way. It gives too much authority to one person, the sheriff." Beeker is not personally opposed to Sheriff Johnny Isaac, just the way the bill was structured.
He thinks the disbursement of the bingo revenue is not setup properly. "The ambulance service, which is on the brink of bankruptcy, didn’t get any….The local library didn’t get any, and they can’t even pay their power bill.
The board at Greenetrack is receiving money, Beeker said. "They distribute money; they don’t need to get money. I thought it was poorly thought out."
The vote was slid through with 32 days notice instead of the routine 90 days. Service people in Iraq were not able to vote absentee.
The election cost the county money, he said. "We do not have any money. It was forced upon us to have to pay for this election. We didn’t get a penny back."
Beeker doesn’t want the county to have to depend on gambling to pay the bills. "We have an industrial board that is very active," he said. "We have a spec building that was finished last year.
Greene County is not only working with other counties but with other states such as Mississippi to attract industry, Beeker said.