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Buffalo Mayor Adds Members to Casino Task Force15 July 2001BUFFALO, New York – July 15, 2001 –As reported by the Buffalo News: "Mayor Anthony M. Masiello has added a dozen business leaders, politicians and an architectural scholar to his casino task force and told them not to debate the merits of casino gambling but to instead figure out how to do it right. "`This task force can help us maximize the positives and minimize the negatives,' said Masiello, who favors a downtown casino. `I want them to give us the ability to bring about the best casino we can. This isn't a debate about whether we should have it or not.' "…Carl P. Paladino, a major property owner and developer in downtown Buffalo, supports a casino and said making sure Buffalo receives a fair share of the revenues will be one of his priorities as a new task force member. "`If the state had done its job correctly, the state would have legalized gambling for a state-run casino modeled after Casino Niagara,' Paladino said. "Casino Niagara opened in December 1996 in Niagara Falls, Ont., and the Ontario-owned casino generated $650 million in revenue a year for the province, part of which is shared with municipalities. "Unfortunately, New York State officials did not feel it appropriate to do the same for the Buffalo Niagara region, Paladino said. "…The task force approved a report to the mayor and the Common Council that concluded a Buffalo casino will infuse money into the city only if it attracts a large number of bettors from outside the area." |