NO DICE: Kingston mayor joins Saugerties casino opposition

By Paul Kirby, Freeman staff Daily Freeman June 2, 2005

Kingston Mayor James Sottile on Wednesday joined the growing list of opponents to an Indian tribe's proposed casino in Saugerties.
Sottile said a gaming hall in the northern Ulster County town would ruin the "quaint" character of the community and "overshadow" its historical significance.
The Democratic mayor said he also would oppose construction of a casino in the Kingston area but not necessarily in the southwestern part of the county, such as the Ellenville area, where resorts are part of the landscape.
"I just don't think that a casino should be plopped into a town or a city," the mayor said, referring to a proposal by the Seneca-Cayugas Tribe of Oklahoma to build a casino, hotel, entertainment center and golf course on the Winston Farm in Saugerties. "I think if we are going to look at a casino, we should look at the resorts rather than taking them and plopping them right in a middle of a community."
The majority leader of the Kingston Common Council, Bill Reynolds, said he objects to a casino being built anywhere in Ulster County and will ask the council to approve a resolution endorsing that opposition.
"It's just bad news," said Reynolds, D-Ward 7. "It may bring more money, but what would that money pay for? We would have to pay for more police officers, and we may need more social workers, addiction counselors."
No date has been set for a vote on Reynolds' resolution. The town boards in Woodstock, New Paltz and Shandaken already have approved resolutions opposing casinos in Ulster County.
A group of Ulster County legislators from Saugerties has proposed a resolution that would let officials in any given town decide the fate of a casino proposed for their community. The resolution does not take a position the Winston Farm plan but would bar the county from negotiating with any tribal government for casino development without the host municipality first giving its approval, either by a vote of the municipal board or a public referendum.
The Saugerties Town Board is to vote next Wednesday on a resolution that objects to the Winston Farm proposal. Town Supervisor Greg Helsmoortel and village of Saugerties Mayor Robert Yerick already have voiced opposition to the Seneca-Cayuga plan.
Additionally, Saugerties-based opponents of the casino have formed a group called No Saugerties Casino Inc. A public forum hosted by the group drew about 250 people to the John D. Greco Senior Center in Saugerties on Tuesday.
Sottile said the negative impacts of a casino in Saugerties probably would be felt in Kingston.
"There may be some sales tax (revenue), but that tax would probably go to pay for the problems that casinos create," Sottile said. "I just don't think Winston Farm is a good site for a casino.
Town of Ulster Supervisor Fred Wadnola and Deputy Supervisor Barbara Wise, both Republicans, don't expect their Town Board to take up an anti-casino resolution anytime soon.
"I think that it is too premature right now," said Wadnola, whose town abuts Saugerties. "A casino could have a positive impact on a community if the local municipality was guaranteed certain funds on an annual basis."
Wise offered no personal opinion on the Saugerties plan, but said: "I think that any industry, whether it be a casino or a factory, if they are opposed by the host community, they are going to have a uphill battle."

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