Casinos
Issue discussion
I have opposed, and will continue to oppose, the proposed sites for casinos. But though I do not approve of gambling and do not think that gambling would be a major contributor to economic development in Philadelphia, I would not oppose all casinos. But I have been a vociferous opponent of the five proposed sites for gambling.
We cannot allow casinos to be located close to thriving, reviving residential areas or on the Delaware waterfront. This is true for two reasons. First, the expansion of casinos may end up costing us jobs because of the resulting traffic mess that prevents truck shipments from getting to and from the port. Through the port industry, the riverfront provides almost 9,000 direct and many other jobs in the trucking industry. Over the next 10 years, imports are expected to double. If the city invested a little in the port industry now, there could be many new solid jobs and industry in the next decade.
We need a thriving port and the right kind of development on the Delaware River. After allowing for port expansion, the Delaware waterfront should be redeveloped in ways that encourages people to make use of the river as a place to walk, bike, shop, and relax in restaurants and coffee shops. It should contain new parks, recreation centers, and new, appropriately sized, housing developments.
The whole casino issue shows us how Philadelphia politics is broken. Decisions about the casinos were taken out of the hands of neighborhoods and the city and taken over by the state. Our local officials—our Mayor and councilmen—did little or nothing to stop it. This is absolutely the wrong way to proceed.
