Capital Region communities are now experiencing the frustration of top-down government at its worst: The expansion of casino gambling in upstate New York as provided in the flawed Proposal One bill that was on the ballot last November.
Although the bill managed to obtain statewide approval, many local communities said "no." That doesn't seem to matter much to Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan and Assemblywoman Patricia Fahy who, by their vocal support to a casino development project in Albany County, seem to be saying to their constituents, "Don't worry, we know what is best for you."
In other states, like Massachusetts, specific casino development projects require local approval through a public referendum. This is not the case in New York. Prop One did not provide for a public referendum to approve a proposed development project. Instead, the host community city council or town board must approve specific casino proposals in their areas by means of a resolution, a process far removed from a public referendum.
And what about those communities whose voters did not support Proposal One? Despite Proposal One not carrying the city of Albany, Mayor Sheehan and other proponents of the Exit 23 casino are advocating the development should go through, making the pitch that a casino would bring jobs and lower taxes. The voters in the city and county are not stupid. They heard that "pitch" when they voted against Prop One last November; the language on the ballot stated "... for the purpose of promoting job growth ... and permitting local governments to lower property taxes." The voters in Albany and in Albany County nevertheless said "no."
Mayor Sheehan is not the only politician ignoring the expressed will of the people. Proposal One did not carry a single municipality in New York's 109th Assembly District: Albany, 49.3 percent; Guilderland, 45.4 percent; New Scotland, 36.8 percent; and Bethlehem, 39.1 percent. It is therefore surprising to read what Assemblywoman Fahy has said about the E23 casino proposal. As reported in the article "Albany casino proposed," March 21, after a meeting with Mayor Sheehan, Assemblywoman Fahy seemed to favor the E23 proposal to a then-competing site in Saratoga Springs.
Ms. Fahy's new-found affinity for a casino in the 109th District is in stark contrast to what she was saying prior to the Proposal One vote.
Speaking from the floor of the state Assembly last June, Assemblywoman Fahy said, "... casino gambling was not my idea of economic development. I have many personal oppositions to this form of economic development. And that, in terms of the 109th District, the district I represent, if this bill were to impact the 109th District, it would be a very, very easy 'no' vote for me."
Despite the fact that an E23 casino would be on Bethlehem's doorstep, and that Bethlehem voters overwhelmingly rejected casino development, the assemblywoman's support seems to have become a very, very easy "yes."
The absence of a local public referendum provision in the Prop One bill was intentional. Lawmakers clearly sought to accelerate the timetable of casino development projects and to take direct decision-making authority out of the hands of the people and grant it to a few hand-picked individuals: the state Gaming Commission. Instead of empowering voters, Prop One and the approval process it established leaves the electorate handcuffed on the most critical decision: The direct approval of specific casino proposals.