Hudson River Mayor asks for a revote in New York

Back on Dec. 17, the state Facilities Location Board recommended the Rivers Casino and Resort at Mohawk Harbor in Schenectady for the sole Capital Region license. Losing  proposals, along with the  Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Rensselaer,were  Capital View Casino and Resort in East Greenbush and Howe Caverns Resort & Casino in Schoharie County.

Hark Rock supporters claim that the Rensselaer casino would open earlier and provide more revenue than the other proposals in the Capital Region, and Dwyer said he doesn't believe that Rivers could have outscored Hard Rock to win the selection.

He wants the governor to ask the Gaming Commission to set aside the Rivers decision, appoint a new panel of upstate residents instead of the downstaters who made up the siting panel and have the commission begin an expedited second review with the new siting board.

Due to the exclusion zones for the Seneca and Oneida casinos, the Finger Lakes was grouped with the Southern Tier. Lago Resort & Casino in Tyre, Seneca County, won that region's license.

Cuomo has asked the Gaming Commission and location board to consider issuing another license in the Southern Tier.

Cuomo said that if the commission agrees to the request, a review process for the fourth license, which was not awarded, should be implemented quickly "as the Southern Tier needs jobs and investment now."

Dwyer praised Cuomo for stepping up for the Southern Tier and asked him to do the same with the state Gaming Commission for Rensselaer. "On behalf of the residents of the city of Rensselaer, I respectfully request that you also direct the NYS Gaming Commission to revisit the Capital District region in an effort to designate a project that benefits the most Capital Region residents," Dwyer wrote in a three-page letter faxed to Cuomo on Monday.

The Gaming Commission and State Police are conducting background investigations of the winning applicants in Schenectady, Tyre and Thompson, Sullivan County, for the Montreign Resort Casino.