Del Marsh to join Alabama Jobs Foundation’s for poll release

The Alabama Jobs Foundation is holding a press conference at 10 a.m. Wednesday to announce the results of a new statewide poll.

A Foundation media advisory says Sen. Del Marsh, Senate President Pro Tempore and sponsor of a plan to allow voters to vote on a constitutional amendment on gaming expansion, will be in attendance with Chip Hill, executive director of the Alabama Jobs Foundation, and Michael Meyers, a pollster with TargetPoint Consulting, Alexandria, Va.

The group has backing of some of Alabama’s biggest names in business, launched with Pat Dye and Charles McCrary, and recently added Harold Ripps, and Frank Bromberg to the board.

Marsh has been outspoken about his support of allowing voters to decide on gambling. In an earlier press conference with Birmingham Mayor William Bell, they expressed their preference of the amendment rather than a plan by Gov. Robert Bentley and Speaker Mike Hubbard to raise taxes.

“This is a viable option that should be put to the people to decide,” he said. “The people should have the right to make this choice before we put $600 million of new taxes on them.”

Birmingham Mayor William Bell joined Marsh at the press conference to lend his support to the gaming proposal because of its potential to boost economic development in his city.

“We can’t stand on the sidelines,” Bell said. “In the last gubernatorial election, you had officials saying that we should let the people have the right to decide on gaming. Gaming is by choice, taxes aren’t by choice. If we have a lottery, people can choose for themselves whether to participate in that activity.”

Alabama Today will be covering the event.