The billionaire was in Schenectady last week, Francesco Galesi himself, was at the council committee meeting. Obviously he is NOT buying a house in the city.
Dave Buicko, the local head of the Galesi group told Vince Riggi and Marion Porterfield to "abstain" instead of voting "no" for the casino project.
There was a third councilperson that was leaning against voting yes for the casino, but the DEM PARTY told the council member to vote yes, this councilmember was un-named. Wonder who that was.
He said the council was not given eve a cost analysis for this. Supposedly a claim of a 5% reduction in taxes but there were no numbers provided to address infrastructure, traffic issues, any issues that might require police (perhaps needing to hire more), etc.
Gillen was at these meetings too. Suspicious?
Optimists close their eyes and pretend problems are non existent. Better to have open eyes, see the truths, acknowledge the negatives, and speak up for the people rather than the politicos and their rich cronies.
Yes, I can see how Galesi stacked the deck last night for the meeting.
The majority of city residents who spoke said no.
The majority of people who did NOT live in the city supported it. For example, construction workers who do NOT live in the city, what the hell were they there fore????? Stupid? It does not matter where the casino is approved for, the construction jobs will exist.
I didn't have time to watch it all, will have to take some time to watch. But it's interesting to note that one of the local double dippers on the STAR tax exemption, who has close ties with the dem party, none other than the husband of McC's political crony on the board of assessment was speaking in favor.
The city has NOT stated ANYTH8ING whatsoever OFFICIALLY how this project will generate tax revenue. This is Galesi land which on official government recdords is 100% tax exempt WITH NO END DATE.
No one in the city or county dems has provided any answers to the TAXPAYERS to explain how tax revenue will be generated when they have granted Galesi a 100% tax exemption with no end date. is Galesi going to sell a portion of the property to the casino so the tax exemption is removed?
If the casino did become the owner of the property on the part that it is located, where is it documented for THE TAXPAYERS that states HOW the tax revenue will be used?
Has the city put it in writing on an official legal document that says the tax revenue to the city will be used to reduce taxes? Or will the dems use it to spend more, give raises to themselves, spend more on gin mills that will become tax exempt, etc?
Where is the official legal document stating what the county will do? Will they use it to reduce county taxes? Or to spend more on wasteful spending?
What about the school district? Will they use it for more unnecessary fluff classes? Will the school use the money to cut taxes? Or will the school distrit use it to hire more teachers to provide more dues for the union to make the union richer which will then use that money to push for fat raises for the teachers and more lavish benefits and bloated pensions?
The city, the county, the dem party, and Metroplex - NONE of them have provided details for the taxpayers, and the taxpayers, the public were NEVER allowed to ask questions!
Clearly this is a very suspicious deal.
It is probably time for people, even those who support a casino in theory, to w5rite to the state, whatever agency is going to approve this, and tell them not to approve it for Schenectady unless the dems and their cronies allow the public to ask questions, and conditioned upon every detail be provided to the financially struggling homeowners in the city.
Optimists close their eyes and pretend problems are non existent. Better to have open eyes, see the truths, acknowledge the negatives, and speak up for the people rather than the politicos and their rich cronies.
THIS MAYOR JACKASS MCCARTHY AND HIS PUPPET COUNCIL MEMBERS ARE ALL BOUGHT OUT BY THE BILLIONAIRES AND CITY EMPLOYEE UNIONS. THIS WAS VERY EVIDENT LAST NIGHT AT THE MEETING. MCCARTHY DOESN'T GIVE A $HIT ABOUT WHAT THE LOCAL CHURCH LEADERS HAD TO SAY! VOTE MCCARTHY OUT! NEIL BLUHM OWNER OF THE CASINO IS A BIG TIME DEMOCRATIC DONOR READ HIS BIO BELOW
He hosted President Barack Obama's 49th birthday party, where admission was a $30,000 donation to the Democratic National Committee.[2][4] He has made further donations to Democratic candidates, such as Hillary Clinton, Dick Durbin, Melissa Bean, Rahm Emanuel, Lisa Madigan, Rod Blagojevich, Lou Lang, and Michael Madigan.[4] An art patron, he sits on the Board of Trustees of the Art Institute of Chicago and the Whitney Museum of American Art.[2] He also has an art collection worth $100 million.[2] He sits on the Board of Trustees of Northwestern University.[7][10
NEXT TIME MCCARTHY OPENS HIS MOUTH ABOUT PEOPLE GETTING RICH QUICK. HE NEEDS TO SPEAK OF THE ILLS OF HIS BILLIONAIRE FRIENDS. NOT THE POOR PROPERTY TAX PAYERS AND ABSENTEE LANDLORDS THAT IS KEEPING THIS CITY AFLOAT. MCCARTHY IS A HYPOCRITICAL FOOL!
Casino employees get raise following labor union deal Hotel Trades Council strikes deal with Resorts World Casino to pay employees up to $60,000 per year. BY IRVING DEJOHN NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Published: Monday, October 28, 2013, 12:29 PM Updated: Monday, October 28, 2013, 8:10 PM A A A 223
7 Hotel Trades Council workers celebrate upon hearing the news that their union just finalized an arbitration settlement with Resorts World Casino to significantly raise their salaries. Workers will eventually earn $60,000 per year, more than doubling some salaries. JACK MILLER/MILLER PHOTO Hotel Trades Council workers celebrate upon hearing the news that their union just finalized an arbitration settlement with Resorts World Casino to significantly raise their salaries. Workers will eventually earn $60,000 per year, more than doubling some salaries. They’re doubling down on their workforce. Employees of the city’s first “racino” are set to receive a massive pay increase in a deal between the operator and a prominent labor union, officials said Monday. Under the new agreement with the Hotel Trades Council, Resorts World Casino New York City will increase the salaries of 1,400 of its 1,750 employees to more than $60,000 per year — doubling the take for some of those workers, officials said.
The agreement between the Malaysia-based operator and the Hotel Trades Council, decided by an arbitrator after a year of negotiations, comes one week ahead of a statewide vote on whether to legalize full-fledged casino gaming.
If the Empire State elects to legalize Vegas-style gambling, it needs to be accompanied by an influx of middle-class jobs, said Peter Ward, president of the Hotel Trades Council.
“We have created a blueprint that will set a standard for future contracts with the gaming industry throughout the state,” Ward said.
“This is an expectation,” he added. “If we’re going to give you license to run a billion-plus-dollar-a-year operation, we expect the people to be taken care of as part of the deal.”
The Resorts World racino is making money hand over fist. Now, more of it will be shared with workers. VIOREL FLORESCU FOR NEWS/STR The Resorts World racino is making money hand over fist. Now, more of it will be shared with workers.
A buffet cook at the Aqueduct racino has been earning a meager $12.28 per hour. That will immediately be bumped up to $22.99.
By 2016, a full-time kitchen worker will earn $57,679 annually, plus free family health care and paid time off, union officials said.
“This is just life-changing,” said a jubilant Adrian Soto, a security guard who was earning $11 per hour and now earns more than $22 per hour. “I’m practically in tears right now.”
Soto, of Bushwick, said he was behind on his bills and struggling to support his 9-year-old son, and 7-year-old daughter.
“The rent was always late,” he said. “Just to get a Metrocard was a hassle.”
The racino has been a cash-cow for the state since it opened in October 2012, raking in more than $1.3 billion in revenue, state Lottery data shows. Of that money, 44% goes into a state education fund, 14.5% goes toward the N.Y. Racing Association, and 10% goes toward the state Lottery.
Having poured nearly $840 million into state coffers — and more than $567 million of that sum into the state’s education fund — the project has been touted as a smashing success.
The project has also been touted as a job creator, but prior to this settlement critics rightly charged that the majority of workers were not earning a living wage.
Resorts World officials said they would abide by the decision.
“We respect and will implement the arbitrator’s award as required and will continue to focus our efforts on improving our facility,” said a racino spokeswoman
making $60,000/year in NEW YORK CITY is freaking peanuts......ok folks.....it's bones, they're tossing bones......
here the salary may be $18,000-$30,000.....peanuts when raising a family...and ooops! you might be a single parent... sucks for you but it's a 'living wage'....hahahahahahahahahaha
the government will take that revenue wrap it up in some freaking speech and toss it back in the form of "what you deserve of your fair share" ie: food stamps/heap/child care subsidies and alllllllll other kinds of government help because you are not smart enough to manage it on your own if the money was put into your pocket and there would be less victimizing of you, hence less control and obfuscation of their agenda.....
ARE WE FEELING LUCKY????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ROLL THOSE DICE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
...you are a product of your environment, your environment is a product of your priorities, your priorities are a product of you......
The replacement of morality and conscience with law produces a deadly paradox.
STOP BEING GOOD DEMOCRATS---STOP BEING GOOD REPUBLICANS--START BEING GOOD AMERICANS
All the same people bashing these $20-30k salaries for out of work city residents are all the same people complaining about people living off the system and not working for a living. This plan makes sense, it will help downtown which will in turn lead to even more jobs and more tax revenue as well. This is a good step in bringing Schenectady back to being a place people want to be. It's by no means a cure all, but we need to start somewhere, and adding lots of jobs and lowering taxes is a good start.
ALL casinos are totally dependant on how much handle(patron losses) are created. If that dips layoffs follow. And the lower paid are the first shown the door. Foxwoods is restructing it's $2 Billion debt. Allowed to stay open due to what jobs it has salvaged. Moheghan Sun also is facing tough times these past 4 years and has had to cut out many perks for it's employees to avoid many layoffs (this according to a friend in the Bus Lobby mgt. whom I know). Once the addition of 4 more casinos upstate takes place, the canibalization will continue with more cutting up/dividing the same pie among more sharks. There is only so much casual $$$ out there and once it's divided up more ways it's only logical to assume that cuts at these casinos is inevitable. Then there will be more corp. welfare (tax $) to keep them afloat. And Springfield, Mass., 90 miles from Albany will soon have a casino as well. Soon you will be 2 hrs. or less from a casino in NYS. regardless where you are.
I agree. The time to build casinos was the 1980s. Been there, done that. Too many gambling options now. I guess they will get the elderly on pensions and the occasional welfare recipient. It won't be the crowd that goes to the Wynn.