WRAL News learned that Rocky Mount and Nash County leaders were briefed on plans for a proposed casino in Rocky Mount and signed non-disclosure agreements months before the proposal became public knowledge.
As early as last fall, leaders at both the city and county level were told about a possible casino coming to a site in Rocky Mount and then signed NDAs about the project.
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The Carolinas Gateway Partnership leads economic development for Rocky Mount.
Carolinas Gateway Partnership Vice President of Special Projects Norris Tolson said, “Over the last six to nine months, all seven members of the Rocky Mount City Council were briefed on the casino project and are under NDAs.”
In an August public meeting, Nash County Commission Chair Robbie Davis also said he was briefed on the casino in January and signed an NDA.
The proposal for a casino in Rocky Mount didn’t become public knowledge until late July.
WRAL News reached out to every member of the city council, asking why they were sworn to secrecy on the casino plan.
The city of Rocky Mount's economic development office said all seven city council members signed the NDAs.
- Richard Joyner said the purpose was to avoid jeopardizing a future economic development project.
- Tom Harris declined to comment.
- Andre Knight said, "It's economic development just like anything else."
- Lige Daughtridge signed an NDA in September 2022. He said he feels secrecy is typical concerning economic development projects.
However, Daughtridge also said city council members have never signed NDAs as a group for any past projects.
The project is not finalized yet.
Casinos have yet to be legalized in North Carolina. Along with Medicaid expansion, the move is tied up in state budget negotiations and still must pass the legislature. The plan is to designate three sites statewide for casino gambling, and the Rocky Mount/Nash County would be among the applicants for that right.