Bessemer City Councilors barely mentioned gambling in the regular Feb. 16 meeting — a stark difference from the late-night, last-minute “bingo” meeting held just four days prior.
With one day’s notice of the “special called combination bingo committee and council meeting,” only four of the seven councilors attended the Feb. 12 meeting. Those present — President Earl Cochran, Pro-tem Jesse Matthews, Louise Alexander and Dorothy Davidson, three of whom (Cochran, Alexander and Davidson) comprise the city’s bingo committee — have issued the council’s continuous votes to legalize and expand gambling in the area.
Mayor Edward May called the bingo committee’s actions suspicious since they are supposed to hold meetings and then report their suggestions to the full council. He called the 8 p.m. special called meeting “atypical” and “ambiguous.”
“They didn’t state the reason for the meeting unequivocally (as required by law),” he said. “They wanted to do it under the cover of darkness because they did not want the public to see what they were doing.”
Despite District Attorney Arthur Green’s recent warning to shut down Bessemer-area casinos or face potential law enforcement raids, the four councilors continued their plans during the meeting to allow slot machines, which they call electronic bingo, in the area.
Cochran said, “I’ve thought about it and prayed about it, and I’m going to be persistent about it because I know this city needs financing.”
May has said the city does not need financing from gambling since it would take more money out of the community than it could bring in. Yet under the advice of Birmingham Attorney Kim Davidson, the council approved electronic bingo gambling permit applications for Radicand Foundation, Walker County Shrine Club, Alabama Minority Health Institute and New Covenant Christian Center, who wish to open casinos in the area. The organizations have said they applied for bingo permits before Circuit Court Judge Eugene Verin issued his “status quo” order.
This allowed gambling facilities already in operation before Nov. 5 to remain open during a court case to determine the legality of the machines they plan to use. But Kim Davidson said their applications were “lost” by city employees.
In the Feb. 12 meeting, council members approved a renewal bingo permit application for American Legion Hall 149 (Lucky Royale Casino) and a transfer application for the VFW/Ladies Auxiliary who they say has been operating in Lipscomb.
May, who was not present at the meeting, said he ordered city employees not to accept or process bingo permit applications since the city has no ordinance allowing electronic bingo gambling, which he considers illegal.
During the Feb. 12 meeting, council members also ordered Kim Davidson to issue a memo to May giving him seven days to instruct city employees to process and issue the requested permits. At press time, May had not received any such memo. Finally council members voted to place $50,000 in a line-item of the city’s budget to pay for the bingo-related work Kim Davidson is performing on behalf of the city. Initially the councilors considered $100,000 for the line-item.
During the Feb. 16 meeting, the group attempted to pass a resolution to pay Kim Davidson $15,225 for “issues relating to bingo,” but May and the city attorney asked for more time to review her invoice. She was initially hired by the council’s bingo committee to represent the city council in the court case before Verin. Then the committee began working with her to pass electronic bingo gambling ordinances and approve the aforementioned permits.
Share with others: