As the No Casino Coalition embarks on its second year of lobbying, it has learned some lessons in political realities.
Among them: Be careful when accepting help from anonymous sources.
At a Jan. 7 forum on the proposal to place a casino in Tysons sponsored by the Fairfax NAACP, the coalition primarily organized by homeowners’ and civic associations was called out by developer Comstock Companies for taking an in-kind contribution from MGM Resorts International — which operates the MGM National Harbor Hotel & Casino in Prince George’s County.
That venue would face significant competition if a casino is built in Northern Virginia.
“The real people who are against this is MGM,” John Harrison, executive vice president of development for Comstock, claimed at the forum.
At the NAACP event, the No Casino Coalition chair acknowledged that the group indirectly got funding from MGM Grand for bus trips to lobby the General Assembly in Richmond last year.
The situation arose due to the organization’s limited initial understanding of the intricacies of civic activism at the state level, No Casino Coalition chair Lynne Mulston said in a follow-up conversation with FFXnow.
“It’s important to note that we’re simply regular citizens, not professional lobbyists,” Mulston said. “Before January and February of 2024, none of us who came together to organize had any prior experience in lobbying.”
Mulston said it was a surprise to the group that state Sen. Dave Marsden’s bill to make Fairfax County eligible for a casino was going to get a committee vote on Jan. 24, 2024, before opponents of the measure had a chance to make their case.
She explained how the situation unfolded:
“In the early evening [the day before], while I was calling bus companies to get pricing, [a] colleague was busy sending emails and making phone calls to coordinate carpools for the next morning. During this time, a contact from Reston texted me two names, suggesting that these individuals might be able to help.
“All we knew at the time was that they worked for a PR firm. When we spoke, they mentioned having several clients opposed to the casino bill who wished to remain anonymous and asked how they could assist. This led to a bus being provided for our trip — and, later, for a second trip. We did not have time, nor did it occur to us neophytes, to question or dig in further the evening before we needed to leave for Richmond.”
The connection between the public relations firm and MGM came to the group’s attention after the second trip to Richmond.
“After careful deliberation, we made the collective decision to reject any further assistance from groups whose funding originates from the casino industry,” Mulston told FFXnow.
The No Casino Coalition will lead a lobby-day bus trip to Richmond tomorrow (Wednesday) that’s being supported through recent fundraising efforts, Mulston said.
Now led by state Sen. Scott Surovell (D-34), the new bill to give the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors the authority to hold a referendum on whether to allow a casino was referred to the Senate General Laws and Technology Committee.
The committee is scheduled to meet for the first time this session at 4 p.m. tomorrow, but Senate Bill 982 isn’t on the docket.
While the casino bill doesn’t appear to be getting a discussion yet, the No Casino Coalition will present its case for opposing the legislation tomorrow at an 11 a.m. press conference organized by state Sen. Jennifer Boysko (D-38), who isn’t a member of that committee but represents McLean, Reston, Herndon and Great Falls.
Meanwhile, Surovell announced earlier today that three senators have joined him as chief patrons of the bill: former Fairfax County School Board member Stella Pekarsky (D-36), Legislative Black Caucus Chairman Lamont Bagby (D-14) and Todd Pillion (R-6), a senior member of the crucial Senate Finance Committee.
This story was updated to note changes in the committee’s schedule and docket, and Surovell’s announcement of new patrons for his casino bill.
