The Casino is not a Done Deal

By David Coffee

10-18-2005

The casino in Buffalo... there's a lot to the issue but one thing about it is really offending me right now, NOBODY ASKED US! The governor woke up one morning and said "I know how I'm going to close the gap in our budget, I'm take a piece of Buffalo and give it away to a sovereign nation. They can take the land right off of the tax rolls and make $150 million off of it each year from a casino.” but the really outrageous thing is that he didn’t ask Buffalo, Erie county, or even the state legislature. And he sure as hell didn’t use a referendum to ask us, the people who live here. Seriously, I’m outraged.

Especially since Buffalo is not doing bad right now, there’s actually a lot of old architectural gems being renovated and turned into mixed use apartments and commercial buildings. And new buildings are even starting to fill in the parking lots. The nice areas of the city are actually growing, as more people are moving into the downtown neighborhoods. Main St is improving from the theatre district past the medical campus and all the way up to the Artspace lofts project near Summer St. There’s also the interesting Health Now building right behind City Hall and all kinds of stuff is happening. All we need is for the government not to screw it up. You can read about the new developments at Buffalo Rising’s City page http://www.buffalorising.com/city/ .

Now is not the time to be giving pieces of downtown real estate away to a sovereign nation.

The jobs argument is bullshit, look at other cities that have tried this, like Atlantic city, Detroit, or Niagara Falls, yes even in Niagara Falls at least two hotels and a restaurant have already closed, and they actually have tourists! By contrast 80% of the money that the casino makes in Buffalo is going to come from us, the local economy, and it’s not staying here, it’s going to the Senecas.

The casino will also be nicely situated at the center of all the bus routes, Downtown, where people who cant afford cars can easily get to. Not so with the Niagara Falls or Salamanca casinos. The poor in Buffalo are going to get poorer. I live in an inexpensive Allentown apartment, most of my neighbors in this building are poor, both white and black, I thought about them. Who would go, would they spend more money than they could afford, and what would they do to try and get that money back? What would happen to our neighborhood because of their poverty? I don’t like what I see, really.. more theft, more drugs, more broken car windows and missing stereos, more people outside bothering you for change, or asking you to buy their crap, electronics and fake drugs. It won’t be as nice of a neighborhood. This is one of the most pedestrian friendly and architecturally beautiful sections of the city, but people will enjoy it less, and less often, because they will be harassed and confronted by the struggling poor.

It’s not good, I mean seriously if you want numbers here’s some stuff from Donn Esmonde’s recent article :

The casino will make $150 million a year

About 80 percent of the people who will gamble at a Buffalo casino live within 50 miles of Buffalo,

The casino brings about 1,000 jobs (although at a cost of some existing jobs), with those workers taking home about $25 million a year.

The state gets about $30 million of the annual casino profits,

With the City and County splitting about $7 million.

But $25 million in take-home pay and a $7 million local cut doesn't balance the nearly $150 million we'll pay for it.

"The number one casino spinoff business is a gas station," Thompson said. "Maybe a restaurant within walking distance . . . Most people going to the casino won't do a single thing in Buffalo other than gamble."

If you read this whole thing you definitely care enough to call some representatives and say that if a casino is proposed the public should have a say,

There is a public comment period from now until November 7^th, you have to fax or e-mail Gale Norton, the Interior Secretary, she’s the one who approves land transfers. I encouraged my representatives to send her a fax as well. (FAX# 202-208-6950) (E-Mail: webteam@ios.doi.gov)

Also call your local representatives and tell them to introduce a bill to their legislature so that they have to address the issue and hear from their constituents about it. Or encourage them to sponsor a referendum for the people to vote on. Also give them the fax number for the Interrior Secretary and ask them to send her a statement demanding that this transfer be delayed until the local people have had their say in the matter.

This process is going way too fast, it needs to be properly deliberated.

We are handing over a chunk of our city.

You can find your city reps here: http://www.city-buffalo.com/document_6_3.html

County reps here: http://www.erie.gov/legislature/legislators.asp

State reps here: http://map01.elections.state.ny.us/boe/Main.asp