It’s happening at Atlantic City Hotels and Casinos

Want to become an elected official in Atlantic City? There might be good news for you.

To safeguard against potential corruption in local government, one of the regulations that state lawmakers adopted in 1977, barres casino workers from holding local elected office. Some 40,000 people live in this city, but more than 8,000 are not permitted to run for mayor or council under this law.The law is designed to weed out the possible taint of conflict of interest.But a new bill aims to lift the prohibition.

According to the Pittsburgh Post Gazette,In the 30 years since casino gambling was legalized here, three mayors have left officeunder clouds of suspicion and dozens of city councilmen have been indicted in corruption scandals. Now some state legislators say they are ready to allow casino workers to run for mayor and City Council in Atlantic City. The state Assembly voted 66-11 last week to approve a bill to allow casino workers who live in Atlantic City to hold municipal office there. Casino workers would still be barred from running for state office. The bill is scheduled to be discussed, though not voted on.

Opponents say lifting the ban opens a Pandora’s box of potential favorable treatment for the industry. Still, some worry that without such controls, the well-funded casino industry, the largest employer in the resort, could influence local elections by positioning and funding candidates who would favor gaming.

Under the current law casino employees are not able to run for municipal offices in Atlantic City. Lawmakers did not want such a large employer to exert undue influence on the political process. Yet Local 54 employees are able to run for elected office. The union can also effectively influence the casino licensing process, as they so successfully did with Columbia Sussex and Tropicana.

We think that this is a positive move. Casino employees represent a majority of people in Atlantic City and excluding them from Govt. posts limits the quality of elected officials in the city. Moreover, casino officers understand casino issues better, which represent a big portion of Atlantic City economy. If sufficient care is taken to ensure that that officers follow rules and regulations, this can possibly make Atlantic City Goverment better. We are thumbs up for this move!

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For the past 30 years, the Atlantic City casino experience revolved around, for the most part, sand, seagulls and the Boardwalk. On contemptuous antagonism with Pennsylvania and New York slots , in an effort to continue to exist and thrive, Atlantic City is considering intensifying casino gambling into spots that were never foresee when gambling was approved here in the 1970s. Creativity and innovation were how gambling became a mainstay in the United States , starting with the growth of Las Vegas casino Resorts in the middle of nowhere in Nevada. You never know, casinos can thrive in areas that may appear remote and unattractive.
On approval from the City Council, the gambling hall would be built by Penn National Gaming in the proposed area known best for traffic jams and sewage smells which is about a mile from the Boardwalk on the site of a former oil depot. Residents of the nearby Venice Park neighborhood voiced a commonly heard complaint about the likelihood of the traffic problem to escalate even further, but they are aware that this move would brng badly needed jobs to Atlantic City. The attorney for Penn National expressed in a statement that concerns about traffic will be addressed well before opening. Residents are questioning the choice of the location. With plenty of other vacant sites within existing casino zones still available, why would the new project be proposed in area which is very close to a residential neighborhood? Nobody really knows the answer to that question, except that the cost of land and the availability of labor at close quarters could have played into the decision.
Atlantic City today has 11 Resort-Casinos, including ones by Borgata, Trump, Hilton and Tropicana. Out-of-state competition forced Atlantic City to remake itself and focus on more affluent gamblers who also demand luxury hotels, top restaurants and A-list of entertainment. But the City and the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority decided to open the Bader bidding up to any interested parties in hopes of getting the highest price and best plans for the site. We will keep you updated on the progress of this project.
At AtlanticCity.com , we feel optimistic. With lower costs, this casino has a much better chance of making it to opening in tough economic times.

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