NEWARK, NJ—While city officials have mixed reactions to a proposal to bring casino gaming to Newark, Mayor Ras Baraka says he is all in.
Essex County Executive Joe DiVincenzo sent a letter to Gov. Chris Christie, State Senate president Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester), and State Assembly speaker Vincent Prieto (D-Hudson) last week citing Newark's highways, public transportation and Newark Liberty International Airport that make it a prime locale for a casino, according to an Associated Press report.
“The development of a casino most definitely will put people back to work,” DiVincenzo wrote. “Despite the economic recovery on Wall Street, Newark and Essex County continue to have among the highest rates of unemployment. A project of this magnitude most definitely will create numerous construction jobs, but it will also create hundreds of permanent jobs.”
Mayor Baraka says he took no issue with the lawmakers who sent the letter to Gov. Christie. “I think his (DiVincenzo's) position is as along as they (are going to) be voting on casinos up north that Newark shouldn't be left out. So I don't have an issue with that. That's why I didn't make a comment on it. There is nothing wrong with what he said." See story at nj.com.
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