"Casino operators should take a serious look at Morris County"

Mitch Horn is running for a seat on the Morris County freeholder board. He is working to have all 5,000 residents there say “Yes” to a casino project that, he is sure, will boost the local economy and benefit people by reducing property taxes. In an exclusive interview with Yogonet International, Horn renewed his calls for operators to “take a serious look” at Morris County and consider it a potential “tourist destination rather than simply a place for gaming.”

What can you tell us about the Morris County casino project? How would a gaming facility improve residents' lives?

I personally think it will be a good idea for the residents of Morris County because it would be a way for us to attract tourists who come to New York City and we would be able to attract those tourists into New Jersey. They could enter New Jersey on a train, theyt could take the train to the casino in new jersey and they could enjoy themselves there amd maybe even spend the night and then go back to New York City to continue their tour of New York City.

So it will boost the local economy.

Yes, aboslutely. It would bring hundreds of good paid jobs into Morris County, bring jobs with benefits; it would also beneft the companies such as constryction companies, it would benefit the restaurant industry, the hotel industry the entertainment industry. It would really bring a lot of business to Morris County and I think that it would be a really important way for us to grow the local economy within Morris County and as a result then the benefit for the residents of Morris County would also be in the form of reduce property taxes.

Right now within New Jersey we pay the highest property taxes in the United States. It is extremelly expensive to live in New Jersey because of the property taxes. So if you are able to bring the business to Morris County, that would allow us to tax the casino. Even if it was a very small amount of tax on the casino, that very small amount woul transfer into very big and significant savings for homeowners with the county.

What has been the reaction of residents?

The latest poll that i have seen was that there was approximately 55 percent against and 45 percent in support. In general, most of the population is against the casino right now. However, I don't think they don't understand the full story. And if they understand that there is also a benefit for them such as the reduction of the property taxes, then I think they will undertsand and come around and eventually end up supporting the casino.

Why do you think the majority of the people in Morris County are against the project?

People in general are very comfortable with their quality of life in Morris County. It is a very quiet place, it is a very nice and suburban area. I think they enjoy the fact that Morris County is quiet. They might be afraid to bring a casino because they are afraid of traffic, they are afraid of the constructions and the development of new businesses. Maybe, because of the demographicswithin the county. I think demographics to be a little bit older in population, more of the baby boomer generation is located here. However, when I talk to a lot of the younger voters those people tend to be more supportive of the casino because they see the opportunity, they see the upside to it.

What is the ecomonic situation in Morris County?

In general, New Jersey is in one of the worst financial crisis of its history. New Jersey is in a very difficult financial plate. Now, Morris County is unique because it is actually doing very well in respect to the rest of New Jersey. However, it does not mean that we don't have our challenges. We do have challenges within Morris County. For example, 30 percent of our real estate is currently vacant, we have a lot of office building that were constructed in Morris County and for some reason businesses have decided to leave and it has not been replaced with new businesses coming into the county. That's one opportunity that we think we need to address. Finding ways to attract more businesses and more people to move to Morris County which will improve the real estate vacancy and it would also have an impact on the other businesses that are supporting the development (of the casino), such as restaurants, hotel and tourism.

Do you have any operator in mind to run the facility?

No, and that's why I have made a public statement because I am asking for those operators to take a serious look at Morris County and consider it as a destination. It is a beautiful location, there is lot of land to develop and there is also highly skilled workers. So I am trying to see what operator would like to come forward and take a serious look at Morris County. The legislation requires that the operator in the New North Jersey casino, if it were approved, would have to be also an operator that is currently in business in Atlantic City.

You mentioned Atlantic City. Has there been any reaction to the project from AC considering the current crisis of the casino industry there?

Atlantic City is a beautiful place and I really enjoy going there. Evythime I go there I have an excellent time. I spend a lot of money on tourism when I go there. In general, Atlantic City residents will be supportive of the North Jersey casinos because part of the legislation requires some of the gaming revenue to be allocated back to Atlantic City to help with the redevelopment of Atlantic City. I think they will understand it. Yes; they will have to give up some market share but in return they are going to be getting some direct investment back into their community.

If the casino is finally approved, are you considering any project to assist people with gambling issues?

I dont know if there are any services available but I do know that people are gambling illegally. When they gamble ilegally, then no one benefits from that. If you were to make it legal with Morris County, then they would not have to do it ilegally.

What is your analysis of the casino industry in general in the US?

I see a huge opportunity for the industry to attract new consumers and new customers by marketing themselves more as a resort and destination rather than simply a place for gaming. If they are able to attract customers with entertainment, with hotels, resorts, pool parties and shoppings and really making it a tourist destination I think that is where they have the biggest opportunity to thrive.

And attract young people, right? That should be a big challenge.

There are millions of young peopke within New Jersey that would benefit from having a casino in Morris County. It is a new place for them to go and experience night life, go to different musical acts and listen to music nad just really enjoy themselves. There is a lot of people in Jersey that have discretionary income; they wanna wait to celebrate their success and this will be a way for them to do that without having to travel somewhere else.

Do you have any thoughts about how the outcome of the November elections might impact the industry whether it is Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump that wins?

From a small perspective, if you just look at Morris County, the democratic party is closely alligned with the trade union. The trade union, the construction unions, would very much favour a democrat to be elected because they know that democrats will support big projects. This is just one big project that is being discussed. There is also a gubernatorial race in New Jersey in 2017 and hopefully if a democrat is elected then they will also start discussing another major project which is the development of a new tunnel into New York City which is also a multimillion project that will create a lot of jobs for the construction trade.