Local artist James Wilson penned the original design above to introduce our new editorial feature: Train of Thought. We hope you’ll hop aboard and read. And if you have an issue you’d like to discuss in this format please let us know. We hope to cover many of your issues and concerns in this space. Just remember, we always want to hear what you have to say.
When we read about Gov. Cuomo’s decision to offer the proposal of full fledged gambling to the New York voters in a referendum in November we saw it as a form of acceptance of the inevitable.
Obviously the governor has come to grips with the fact that despite the hesitancy to make a commitment to full fledged casino gambling in the past, the time has cone to claim our piece of the pie. With casino strongholds in Jersey and Connecticut, if New York is going to take the plunge, we had best get on with it.
And so when Andrew Cuomo laid his cards on the table last Thursday, he discussed thoughts about having a referendum on the November ballot to see where the voters stand.
The basic scheme of Cuomo’s plan looks like this: the governor has figured out that despite the hesitancy of lawmakers before him, his father included, that New York had best jump on the bandwagon before neighboring states gobble up all the gambling and the revenue attached to it.
Yes you know it well. If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em. We agree with Cuomo, it’s definitely tie to assume our rightful place on the ladder of luck.
What we’d like to call a little attention to is the fact that the governor is only dangling the casino carrot in front of counties in upstate New York, declaring that the first casinos will be built in three upstate locations, before any consideration of the 5 boroughs is made––at least for the initial five years.
Cuomo has more than once said that the upstate counties need this type of shot in the arm “like they need oxygen.” But economists stress caution about overconfidence in the strength of a theory that gambling alone is the fix for the fiscal woes upstate.
While we can certainly sympathize with the needs of our upstate neighbors––a boost to the local economy, increased revenue for education and of course a ton of jobs—looks incredibly attractive downstate as well. There is certainly no less need for a shot to our local arms.
It seems that the governor is very quick to point out where he wants to put the casinos, yet he remains totally ambiguous about the reasons why he doesn’t want them in other places.
Why should the people of downstate support a referendum that benefits their neighbors to the north and basically leaves them out of the winning equation.
While one can make the argument that the entire state wouldn’t benefit from contributions to education throughout New York, its that the impact outside the casino destination would be greatly limited.
We think the governor needs to broaden the field of eligibility and welcome the five boroughs into the arena of consideration.
A prime consideration should include the exploration of the possibility of transforming the already successful Resort World into the first non-Indian nation destination in New York to offer full fledged gaming.
As the top generator of revenue from slot machines in the nation, Resort World is responsible for the generation of more than $700 million to the state since its development.
In addition to the tremendous revenue, there are other ancillary factors which weigh heavily among the merits of consideration.
The facility is responsible for supplying 1,100 jobs for Queens residents as well as 1,200 construction jobs.
It’s likely the folks at Resort World will put on their lobbying boots and start stomping their feet in Albany, putting the pressure on to get into the running.
We would encourage and urge you to support any petition to make formal request that our neck of the woods be given the same opportunity as will likely be afforded by our neighbors to the north.
