Casino bid's allies outraise foes in August

Initiative group’s $500,000 nearly 5 times opposition’s

A group formed to support a proposed constitutional amendment that would authorize three new casinos in Arkansas received about five times the funding as the committee working against the proposal.

Arkansas Winning Initiative Inc. reported receiving $500,000 in August, according to a financial report filed Thursday. Cherokee Nation Businesses LLC gave $400,000, and the committee took a $100,000 loan from Marc Williams of Branson, the report said.

On the other side of the issue, the Committee to Protect Arkansas' Values received $59,500 from Oaklawn Racing and Gaming and $50,000 from Delaware North, which owns Southland Park Gaming and Racing, according to a report filed earlier this week. The ballot question committee, also known as Stop Casinos Now, is opposed to the proposed constitutional amendment to create the three new casinos in southwest and northwest Arkansas.

The new casinos would be run by corporations owned by two Missouri men. Oaklawn and Southland have casinos at their racetracks.

"We know we have a fight on our hands to explain to the voters of Arkansas that two out of state opportunists are trying to rig our Constitution for their own personal profit," Chuck Lange, chairman of the ballot committee, said in a news release. "We are excited to have received a little over $100,000 in financial resources from longtime Arkansas institutions -- Oaklawn and Southland -- to combat this deceptive effort to permanently change our constitution."

But Robert Coon, a spokesman for Arkansas Winning Initiative Inc., said his group is focused on what's best for the state.

"Lange and his committee have clearly had no difficulty financing their front group with money from Arkansas' existing gaming monopoly -- Oaklawn and Southland, which incidentally are owned by multi-millionaires from Missouri and New York," he said in a statement. "Unlike our opponents, we're focused on what's best for Arkansas and that is bringing tax revenue back from surrounding states, creating jobs, and increasing tourism right here at home."

Arkansas Winning Initiative Inc. spent $534,037 last month. Top expenditures included $229,960 to Impact Management Group for "political consult poll procedure" and a total of $250,000 to National Ballot Access for "petition management." The committee has $10,803 in the bank.

The Committee to Protect Arkansas' Values spent $33,311 last month, mostly on consulting and bookkeeping with the Markham Group and Swiftwater Management and on legal services with Friday, Eldredge & Clark and Wright, Lindsey & Jennings. The committee has $76,189 in the bank.

Each committee formed to promote or oppose proposed ballot issues must file campaign-finance reports with the Ethics Commission on the 15th of each month. The reports detail contributions, expenses and cash in the bank for the previous month.

Other filings, which detail financial information for August, follow:

The Families First Action Committee formed earlier this month. It opposes the Arkansas Medical Cannabis Act, the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Amendment and the amendment that would authorize three casinos. It has not yet filed a financial report.

The Family Council Action Committee, which opposes both medical-marijuana ballot measures, a proposal to limit attorneys' fees and damages in medical lawsuits and the casinos proposal, reported raising and spending no money. It has $9,465 in the bank.

The Coalition for Safer Arkansas Communities, which opposes both medical-marijuana ballot measures, reported receiving $561 and spending $0. The committee has $1,337 in the bank. Deb Crawford of El Dorado, who gave $237.50, was the top contributor.

Arkansans Against Legalized Marijuana, which opposes both medical-marijuana proposals, reported receiving $1,000 from the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce and spending $0. The committee has $1,000 in the bank.

Arkansans for Compassionate Care, which supports the Arkansas Medical Cannabis Act, reported receiving $10,139 and spending $8,281. The committee has $26,423 in the bank. Anne Holland Ventures of Rhode Island, which gave $6,700, was the top contributor. Anne Holland Ventures owns the Marijuana Business Journal.

Arkansans United for Medical Marijuana, which supports the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Amendment, reported receiving $182,160 and spending $187,517. The committee has $259 in the bank. Broadleaf PSG LLC, which gave $93,709, was the top contributor. Cheney Pruett, chief executive of lending business CashMax, backs Broadleaf PSG.

Jobs for Arkansas, which supports a proposal that would remove the cap on the amount of bonds the state could issue and would allow cities to issue bonds for economic development projects, filed two reports Wednesday. In the first report, detailing August financial information, the committee said it raised $22,400 and spent $8,000. The committee has $205,543 in the bank. The Northwest Arkansas Council, which gave $10,000, was the top contributor. The second report, which was due a month ago, detailed financial information for July.

Health Care Access for Arkansans, which supports a proposal to limit attorneys' fees and damages in medical lawsuits, reported receiving $62,400 and spending $66,168. The committee has $27,033 in the bank. Southern Administrative Services, which gave $40,000, was the top contributor.

The Arkansas Health Care Association, which supports a proposal to limit attorneys' fees and damages in medical lawsuits, reported receiving $0 and spending $0. The committee has $0 in the bank.

Fairness for Arkansas, which opposes a proposal to limit attorneys' fees and damages in medical lawsuits, reported receiving $100 from Denise Hoggard of North Little Rock. The committee has $100 in the bank.

The Coalition for Arkansas Election Reform, which supports a ballot measure that would increase the terms of county elected officials, reported receiving $750 and spending $300. The committee has $7,656 in the bank. K & K Chemical of Royse City, Texas, which gave $500, was the top contributor.

Arkansas Wins in 2016, which backs the amendment that would authorize three casinos, reported receiving $0 and spending $0. The committee has $200 in the bank.

Metro on 09/16/2016

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