New York – Nearly three dozen representatives in the Assembly have asked Gov. Andrew Cuomo and federal representatives to squash a proposed Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohican Indian casino in Bridgeville.
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J. Gary Pretlow, D-Yonkers, who chairs the Assembly’s Racing & Wagering Committee, penned the letter on Tuesday and it was signed by 34 representatives, and also sent to Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand. Basically, they want the state out of a deal signed by Gov. David Paterson and now under federal review that would allow the Wisconsin-based tribe to build a casino in Sullivan County in return for settling a land claim in upstate New York.
Pretlow wrote that the casino would harm the Neversink River and potentially threaten the New York City water supply.
“Gary Pretlow is doing this because he represents Yonkers Raceway,” said state Sen. John Bonacic, R-Mount Hope, who supports the Stockbridge casino and chairs the Senate’s racing and wagering committee. “It is in the interest of his constituents to stop the casino, so I understand his motivations.”
Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther, D-Forestburgh, said Pretlow didn’t give her “a heads up.”
“I would appreciate if the person would come and talk with me about an issue that affects my district,” she said. “A lot of the information in the letter was inaccurate.”
Bonacic said he is concerned with Cuomo’s reaction, who has taken no position on the casino since becoming governor.
Thompson Supervisor Tony Cellini, who has been trying to land a casino for a decade and has written his own letter to Cuomo in response, said he expected opposition – but not this much.
“I thought we were in America where competition was welcome,” Cellini said.
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Casinos are a plague.
Nonsense! Absolute nonsense! Harm the river and the water supply? Are you kidding me? What is it about gambling that makes people lose their minds?
If they wanted to build yet another golf resort, nobody would say anything. What is it EXACTLY about slot machines and blackjack tables that would be so harmful to the water supply?
The county WANTS it, and if the fine people of Yonkers were smart they would have been looking for a way to compete instead of making up lies shut-out their competition. This is an absolute disgrace and I sincerely hope the Governor stands on the side of business and the free-market. Cuomo has a chance here to forcefully reject that anti-business and anti-capitalist rhetoric that has surrounded this debate for a long time.