I attended the Council meeting on Tues. April 1st
and as I sat there and watched the SAVE group who were happy in one sense but
nervous in another. The were thanking
the Council for changing their minds from a year ago when they voted yes to
expanded gaming by a 5-0 margin to changing their minds in March not to allow
the expansion of table games. However,
they were a little nervous as was Commissioner Scirocco because the vote they
took in March was non binding as they wanted to see what the RFA required and
also see what negotiations could be achieved with Saratoga Casino &
Raceway.
The issue looks moot for Saratoga
getting a casino anyway because of the Albany
proposal. That proposal blows Saratoga out of the water and will truly become a
destination venue which looks like it will even cut into the track season with
the plans that the Albany
casino has.
SAVE, now wants to go after the Saratoga Casino &
Raceway to not be able to expand at all.
Get this through your heads SAVE, the City cannot make the Thoroughbred
track, Harness track or Racino do anything or make them jump through any hoops
to build or not build. The City does not
own the property, the State governs what can or cannot be built there. The convention center and hotel will get
under way very soon and has the go ahead to do so.
Now here is the comical part of the meeting. If you remember at the State of the City
address, Mayor Yepsen appointed a local Racing Committee made up of racing
people from the Thoroughbred, Harness and businesses dealing with both industries
to monitor the effect on developments that will keep our City officials up to
date on any positive or negative trends that start to happen. She introduced the Committee members who are
outstanding in their own fields and they stood to a round of applause. Last night when Mayor Yepsen announced that this
Committee would look at a proposal for a casino to be placed somewhere close by
and what it may mean for our economy, our sleepy Commissioner asked who
appointed this committee? Why is this
Racing Committee just for Saratoga
Springs , we already have a NYS Racing Committee? When was this Committee appointed? Obviously Scirocco fell asleep during the
Christmas Holiday’s and woke up on April Fool’s Day.
Speaking about Rip Van Scirocco, is everyone happy with how
clean downtown has looked the past few years?
I have received some comments from friends that the streets never looked
as dirty as they have been in the last few years. I think either Rip or his outside Deputy
needs to stay on top of this and they may even have to check with the inside
Deputy, Donna Buckley to make things work.
In closing, I would like to ask Commissioner Scirocco to
apply for the license to apply the copper sulfate to the ponds in Congress Park
