|
No
Saugerties Casino, Inc. P.O. Box 209, Saugerties, New York
12477 � January
29, 2007 � Governor
Eliot L. Spitzer Executive
Chamber State Capitol � Dear
Governor Spitzer, � Congratulations
from your Saugerties constituency. We wish you great success in this enormous
new undertaking. It may be that governing the State of New York, with its
wide variety of interests and needs, is a job second only to that of
governing the nation. We have confidence that your integrity, intelligence
and foresight are equal to the task, and look forward to your leadership. � Although
we are members of a small community, you have heard from us before concerning
our anxieties over being targeted as the site for an Indian tribal casino of
huge proportions. At that time we wanted to let you know that we opposed
placing a casino in this vicinity, and sought your position on the subject.
Though you did not answer us directly, you have said that you believe Indian
casinos may represent good economic development for some regions of the
State. Our research leads us to disagree. From what we have read, and from
testimony we have heard from townspeople in areas where there are already
casinos, there is profit to a few and great economic and social detriment to
the general community. In any event, we would like to let you know that the
Town and Village of Saugerties remain in opposition to a casino in this
region of the State. To express our position fully, Saugerties has hired
Washington D.C. counsel, Guy Martin, of Perkins Coie, L.L.P., to advise and
defend us, and has also, for the second time, passed resolutions expressing
opposition officially. Attached to this letter are the newest Town and
Village resolutions as well as the resolutions from other municipalities in
Ulster County opposing the establishment of casinos within their borders. � We are
aware that the Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Indian Affairs is
in the process of considering new regulations which might give local
governments and citizens a greater voice than they have previously had in
casino siting decisions. It is our position that the localities, which will
bear the brunt of the burden, should be absolutely full partners in the
decision-making process, including, among other things, being privy to all
available information about the proposed casino and its impact. � Our
position is based in part on our own experience with developers Thomas and
Paul Wilmot, who proposed establishing a casino mega-complex here for benefit
of the Seneca-Cayuga nation of Oklahoma. The proposal that was presented to
our government officials was filled with seductive economic promises and
assurances of minimal community impact. Then, in response to a request we
made to the New York State Thruway Authority under the Freedom of Information
Law, we learned that the proposed complex was more than three times larger
than what our local officials had been told. Traffic estimates were grossly
understated. The numbers of planned buildings and their square footage were
grossly understated. In fact, the developers were asking the Thruway
Authority to make Saugerties the second largest interchange on the Thruway,
with up to 14 lanes. � The major
large scale Federal study of the impact of casino gambling in the United
States, that of the National Gambling Impact Study Commission, June, 1999,
called for a moratorium on casino expansion until further impact studies
could be completed. Very shortly you will be asked to make a decision about
tribal casino development in Sullivan County. We ask that you keep in mind
not only the National Gambling Impact Study Commission�s findings and
recommendations, but also those in N.Y. State Senator Frank Padavan�s
Legislative Report, All Gambling All the Time: Turning the Empire State
Into the Gambling State (April, 2004). We call on you to heed the advice
of both the NGISC and Senator Frank Padavan and place a moratorium on casino
development in New York. � Obviously
it is not for the benefit of local people that big developers and
out-of-state tribes seek casino development. In a December 21, 2006 letter to
Governor Pataki, James Cason, the Associate Deputy Secretary of the Interior
wrote: Governor,
please note that we share the concerns that many have expressed about the
implications of off-reservation gaming and so-called "reservation
shopping." We would
hope that you will keep those words in mind as you approach any decision regarding
Indian casinos in general, and specifically for Saugerties. � Sincerely
yours, � Lanny E.
Walter, Esq., Chairman � Cc:
Senate Majority Leader, Joe Bruno Speaker,
Sheldon Silver Senator
John Bonacic Assemblyman
Peter Lopez Assemblyman
Kevin Cahill Congressman
Maurice Hinchey � � � |