Published: October 06, 2008 09:11 pm         

Is silence golden?

Gambling referendum for The Greenbrier still raising questions

Exactly four weeks from today voters in Greenbrier County will go to the polls to cast their ballots for local, state and national candidates. They also will be taking up the issue of a referendum to authorize The Greenbrier resort to offer table gaming to its overnight guests.

Hastily organized just a few weeks ago by the council representing more than 1,000 workers at The Greenbrier, and quickly placed on the ballot by the Greenbrier County Commission, the referendum will mark the second time in eight years that the matter will come before the public for a decision.

But this time is markedly different. Different in that officials at The Greenbrier have remained tight-lipped and have offered no official comment on what position they are taking.

In 2000, The Greenbrier spent a substantial amount of money trying to get the referendum passed, only to see it fail miserably. Since that time, little has been said by resort management about the possibility of reviving the cause except a couple of years ago when the resort’s then-president, Ted Kleisner, said they had moved on into other arenas, including the development of The Greenbrier Sporting Club.

In fact, Greenbrier officials don’t seem to be interested in talking to anyone about the gambling issue at all this time, even West Virginia Lottery Commissioner John Musgrave. He told West Virginia MetroNews he “wanted to see what their (The Greenbrier) intentions were” by calling them and Musgrave got the same reply of no comment.

With the ongoing labor negotiations in White Sulphur Springs seeming to show little progress, the union seems to be pinning most of its hopes on passage of the referendum in order to help resolve the financial dispute between the two sides.

However, even if Greenbrier County voters approve the referendum, it’s no guarantee that The Greenbrier will move forward with applying to bring table games to the resort.

Like a riverboat gambler, the resort is keeping its cards close to the vest and it’s definitely making many nervous in and around the Spa City.

The sounds of silence.