La Crosse Tribune: Tactics of group opposed to casino criticized

Anti-casino groups say they are confident that voters will defeat a casino referendum in November, but they're not taking any chances.

The La Crosse County Tavern League has hired a Colorado research firm to conduct a poll of all registered voters in the county, said Jeff Woodruff, president of the league.

The idea, Woodruff said, is to identify voters who are undecided and then mail them information to vote against the casino, which has been proposed by the Ho-Chunk Nation.

But the methods telemarketers are using is drawing some criticism in the community. The Tribune has received several complaints about the calls.

"This guy who called was downright nasty," said Mike Yeager of Onalaska, Wis. Yeager said the caller asked his position on the casino and, when Yeager indicated he was in favor, questioned whether he knew how much taxpayers would pay for roads and traffic.

"I thought that was very rude," Yeager said. "Ask my opinion, but don't start yelling at me."

Woodruff said telemarketers are supposed to ask the person if he or she supports a casino. "If the answer is no, they say thanks and that's it," he said.

But if the person is in favor or undecided, the caller asks several questions about taxes, transportation and other issues, Woodruff said.

"Anytime you get into telemarketing" problems can occur, Woodruff said. "I apologize to anyone they've been rude to."

Other people have complained that the callers won't identify who they are working for, or falsely claim the casino is behind the survey. Woodruff said telemarketers might be stumbling over the name of the Tavern League's referendum organization - the No Casino Group. "They might have said it was for the Casino Group," he said.

At the taping of WLSU-FM's "Newsmakers" show Thursday, Woodruff said the No Casino Group will be running anticasino ads on local television stations within two weeks of the Nov. 7 vote.

Woodruff said the group has received donations from Tavern League members, area restaurants and businesses who are opposed to a casino in La Crosse - one of which, he said, is the Isle of Capri riverboat casino in Marquette, Iowa.

The Rev. Ted DeWald, chairman of United for a Greater Coulee Region, who also participated in the show, took pains to point out that his group has not taken any money from the Marquette casino, and is separate from the Tavern League group.

However, the two groups are coordinating their efforts, with the UCGR buying radio ads to go with the Tavern League's television push, DeWald said.

"We're very optimistic (the referendum) will be defeated," DeWald said.

Sara Boehm of Ovation Marketing in La Crosse, which is working for the Ho-Chunk Nation on the casino referendum, said that they are not doing telephone surveys in the area. Tribal spokespersons also have said they do not plan a media blitz prior to the referendum, but are focusing on participation in community meetings and forums where the casino issue is discussed and debated.