No More Vowels

LONG TIME INDIANA GAMING COMMISSIONER DONALD VOWELS IS OUT. HES NOT BEING RE-APPOINTED BY THE GOVERNOR. HIS TERM HAS EXPIRED BEFORE AN INVESTIGATION INTO AZTARS LAYOFF COULD BEGIN. ITS THIS TIMING THAT HAS VOWELS RAISING AN EYEBROW. IT RAISES QUESTIONS ABOUT THE AZTAR HEARINGS. THE VACANCY ALSO LEAVES THE AREA UN-REPRESENTED ON THE COMMISSION, FOR THE TIME BEING. TODAY THE COMMISSION MET FOR THE FIRST TIME WITHOUT HIM. AND WHEN THEY MEET TO DISCUSS THE CASINO AZTAR LAYOFFS, IT WILL BE WITHOUT HIM AS WELL, SINCE THE GAMING COMMISSIONER WONT BE TALKING TO THE CASINOS OWNERS UNTIL OCTOBER 25TH. VOWELS WHO CAST THE ONLY VOTE AGAINST TRANSFERRING THE LICENSE TO NEW OWNERS COLUMBIA ENTERTAINMENT, SAYS IT MIGHT NOT BE JUST A COINCIDENCE THAT THE COMMISSIONER ISNT MEETING WITH AZTAR UNTIL NEXT MONTH. PART OF THE PROBLEM SAYS VOWELS, IS THE MISSION OF THE COMMISSION SEEMS TO HAVE CHANGED, AND THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN COMMISSIONERS AND CASINOS. BUT THERE HAVE BEEN PLUSES, HE SAYS, FOR INSTANCE, THE RIVERBOATS, AND WHAT CASINOS HAVE DONE FOR HOOSIERS. VOWELS: "Their benefit has far outweighed any downside that may have actually occurred." VOWELS SAYS HELL MISS THE PEOPLE HES WORKED WITH, AND TAKES PRIDE IN HAVING PLAYED A PART IN THE COMMISSIONS INTEGRITY, BUT SAYS IT HASNT BEEN FUN FOR SOME TIME. THE NEWS WASNT A SURPRISE TO VOWELS, BUT HE DIDNT OFFICIALLY KNOW NOT TO SHOW UP TO TODAYS MEETING UNTIL HE SAW HED BEEN DELETED FROM THE COMMISSIONS WEBSITE. A REPRESENTATIVE FROM GOVERNOR DANIELS OFFICE TODAY SAID THE GOVERNOR WAS REVIEWING CANDIDATES FROM SOUTHWESTERN INDIANA FOR THE POSITION. THAT WILL HAVE TO WAIT HOWEVER UNTIL HE RETURNS FROM JAPAN THIS WEEKEND.