Bessemer City Council’s bingo committee is suing Mayor Edward May to validate an electronic bingo ordinance he vetoed last year. But instead of waiting on a verdict in the case, which could cost the city $150,000 to resolve, it is already working on another ordinance to legalize slot machine gambling being called “electronic charity bingo.”
Birmingham attorney Kim Davidson gave the committee copies of a new ordinance to review during a March 23 bingo committee meeting. She said it is based on Fairfield’s “charity bingo” ordinance.
Councilor James Stephens, who has consistently voted against legalizing and expanding gambling in Bessemer, said the bingo committee is wasting the city’s money with these actions.
“If it was their money that they were spending instead of the citizens’ money, they would be much more prudent,” he said. “They are taking money away that would benefit the citizens to pay a lawyer to support their bingo facilities.”
Davidson also announced that City Attorney Aaron Killings would be presenting an ordinance to the committee, but Killings did not show up for the meeting.
May said he has not asked Killings to work on a “bingo” ordinance. He believes the bingo committee is trying to “throw him (Killings) under the bus.”
Killings, Davidson and Council President Earl Cochran could not be reached by press time. (TAB)
Share with others: