President of FG becomes president of CRC

[tector]

Moving some chairs around on the deck of CDI:

http://blogs.trb.com/entertainment/n...gns_repla.html

Calder president Tom O'Donnell resigns; replacement is from New Orleans
> Posted by Nick Sortal on April 20, 2010 12:28 PM

Tom O'Donnell stepped down as president of Calder Casino & Race Course today, and a new president is taking the reins.

Churchill Downs Incorporated today announced Austin Miller, who had been president of Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots in New Orleans, will be the new president at Calder, pending the usual state approval.

O’Donnell (on the right with shovel, next to John Marshall and Bill Carstanjen) had planned to leave all along once the casino and poker room opened, he said in a news release. Calder's poker room opened Oct. 23 and the casino opened Jan. 29. And give him credit: they put the shovel in the ground in June 2009 with the idea of opening the casino before the Super Bowl and they made it. He also brought in staff from all over to cover the poker room and run the casino -- both of which are new territory for veteran employees at Calder.

He always called me back, so I'll give him the long quote from the press release:

“From the very beginning of my association with CDI [Churchill Downs] my passion has been the construction of this wonderful facility and the ensuing selection of our dedicated and committed team. My arrangement with CDI was always that we’d look to put in place a new President once the facility was completed, opened and operating.” he said. “Nothing could please me more than to see Austin take on the role of President. Having worked with Austin previously, and witnessed his talents with respect to racetrack and gaming operations, this internal transition is assured to be a smooth and successful one.”

There was no word what O'Donnell would do next, but he'll stay on at Calder into June to help Miller get settled, Churchill Downs officials said. Also, no word on how long it takes Miller to clear the state's routine process of checking him out.

Among Miller's comments: “This is certainly bittersweet for me as my New Orleans team members are like family to me, but the challenge of taking Calder to the next level in the highly competitive Miami gaming market is just a fantastic opportunity that I can’t pass up..."

The President roles at Fair Grounds and Calder both report to the Chief Operating Officer of Churchill Downs.

What does it mean? For the everyday gambler, I'm not sure. Calder has been in the slot game for less than a year, so it has been a little early to give out a thumbs-up or thumbs-down (actually, I take that back; for March they were a surprising No. 2 of the five paris, trailing only the Isle). With all eyes more on Tallahassee right now, the answer is "I don't know."

Sometime soon, I need to interview Miller. Dear readers, got any questions for him?