Provided by Casino Marousi – Καζίνο Μαρούσι
https://casinomarousi.com
https://casinomarousi.gr

e-Pilot
e-Pilot Evening Edition
Sign up for email newsletters

Sign up for email newsletters
e-Pilot
e-Pilot Evening Edition
Top Picks:
PORTSMOUTH — Sen. L. Louise Lucas spent years working to bring a casino to her hometown. Soon, that legacy will be on display to all driving to Rivers Casino Portsmouth.
The City Council voted unanimously last week to rename a stretch of road near the casino and Tidewater Community College to “L. Louise Lucas Drive” in honor of her advocacy and service to the city for more than four decades.
The roadway, currently called TCC Drive, spans about a third of a mile and extends from Victory Boulevard in the west to John T. Casteen III Drive to the southeast within the city’s Entertainment District, which also features Missy Elliott Boulevard nearby. TCC Drive also extends to a driveway that serves the casino.
Lucas told The Virginian-Pilot she wasn’t expecting the recognition.
“I’m ecstatic because there’s no greater honor than to be honored in your own hometown,” she said.
The request was brought forth by Barry Randall-Jenkins, who said the move was intended to especially honor her work to bring the first casino to the region that “benefited all citizens.”
“Not only did her dream become a reality, but it also produced a wealthy tax stream for the city of Portsmouth in the neighborhood of $15 million plus dollars to our tax base,” Randall-Jenkins said in a memo about the request.
At the May 28 meeting, he added, “It (didn’t just) benefit the Lucas family, nor did it benefit just the Democrats of our city. It benefited all citizens.”
Lucas, a Democrat, represents Portsmouth and Chesapeake in the Virginia Senate, where she was first elected in 1992. She was the first Black woman to assume several roles throughout her career, including a shipfitter at Norfolk Naval Shipyard, a Portsmouth City Council member in 1984 and Senate President Pro Tempore and chair of the powerful Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee, a panel that spearheads the state’s budget negotiations.
She’s also the CEO of Lucas Lodge, which provides residential and health care services to adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
The Planning Commission also voted unanimously in favor of the request. City staff noted in a memo about the request that no adjacent property owners objected and that Lucas agreed with and was “flattered” by the initiative.
Council member Vernon Tillage, who made the motion, praised Lucas for being a “pillar of our community.”
“Not only is she Portsmouth history, not only is she Black history, but she is the commonwealth of Virginia history,” Tillage said. “I know people have many different opinions and political opinions, but to put all those things aside, this woman has overcome and she has transcended.”
Vice Mayor Lisa Lucas-Burke, who is Lucas’ daughter and seconded the motion, said the request was a “total surprise.” Lucas-Burke praised her mother for her work behind the scenes, which includes funding scholarships and even helping to pay gas and light bills of people in need.
“A lot of things that she did took her away from our family. She’s made a lot of sacrifices for not only Portsmouth and Chesapeake (but) the whole commonwealth of Virginia,” Lucas-Burke said. “I think this is honorable to have her name right there at a place where she realized this is an opportunity for our city.”
Rivers Casino Portsmouth opened in January 2023. In its first full year of operation, it generated nearly $250 million in gaming revenue, providing Portsmouth with more than $15 million in tax revenue to beef up its coffers — a boost to the recently adopted fiscal budget.
When she’s not in Richmond or when she’s in Portsmouth for an extended time, Lucas said she frequents the casino once or sometimes twice a week. Her favorite game is Thunder Drums slots because of the sounds, but she mostly visits the casino to eat at Admiral’s Steakhouse and Yardhouse, two of her favorite places to dine.
“For me, it’s not about all of the winning. It’s just my entertainment,” Lucas said. “It’s a nice venue for the city and I love it that people attend a lot and they give me feedback.”
Natalie Anderson, 747-732-1133, natalie.anderson@virginiamedia.com
Copyright © 2024 The Virginian-Pilot

source
Visit
Provided by Casino Marousi – Καζίνο Μαρούσι
https://casinomarousi.com
https://casinomarousi.gr

Contact : casinomarousi@gmail.com

Please follow and like us: