Coalition organizes to fight North Jersey casinos

The No North Jersey Casinos Coalition aims to persuade voters in November that new casinos will do little to help the economy in North Jersey at the expense of workers and businesses in Atlantic and Cape May counties.

Vicki Clark, president of the Cape May County Chamber of Commerce, is a member of the coalition.

She said many residents of Cape May County work in the casinos. But more than that, she said, many small businesses in the county depend on the casinos and their vendors and for their livelihoods.

“When we look at our regional economy, if Atlantic City continues to lose more footing, that’s not good for anyone,” she said.

The Cape May County chamber sent a notice to its membership this week urging their support of the coalition.

The coalition wants to build opposition to the ballot question among elected officials, civic groups, businesses and voters.

“I’m disheartened to see this has become a polarized North Jersey-South Jersey issue,” Clark said. “We are New Jersey. We need to be making decisions in the best interest of all residents of the state.”

Clark has been an advocate for the business community in Cape May County since 1991, first as a marketing director and later as the group’s president.

The coalition sought the advice of retired state Superior Court Judge Steven Perskie, one of the organizers of the successful 1976 campaign to allow gaming in Atlantic City. Opposition to the referendum has to get organized and come up with a consistent message for voters, he said.

“Anyone who says putting casinos in North Jersey to grow the market doesn’t understand the market. It will cannibalize other casinos,” Perskie said.

The Chamber of Commerce of Southern New Jersey is organizing the seven counties it covers to oppose the referendum.

“We’re comprised of a bunch of like-minded public officials, business organizations, individual companies, organized labor and regular citizens who believe gaming belongs in Atlantic City period,” said chamber President Debra DiLorenzo, also of the coalition.

Chamber leaders will speak to groups across the state about the ballot question’s consequences.

“There’s a lot at stake,” she said. “Things won’t gear up until after Labor Day. We’ll be planting seeds all summer.”

Joseph Kelly, president of the Greater Atlantic City Chamber, said many of the coalition’s supporters are the same people who testified last year against the bill putting expanded gaming to voters.

Kelly couldn’t say how much money the coalition might raise to get its message to voters. The 1976 pro-gaming campaign raised more than $2 million or nearly $10 million in today’s dollars.

“The grassroots organization comes first. That’s something we can do now,” he said.

The coalition is busy signing up supporters.

“We would hope to organize the entire southern part of the state,” Kelly said. “If you’re a business organization looking at this through business eyes, you know how bad an idea it is.”