Poughkeepsie Hosts Daylong Hearing About Future of Casinos in Hudson Valley

The hearing comes as a second of three, following one in Albany yesterday and preceding one in Ithaca tomorrow

Stakes are high as both supporters and critics of 16 separate construction proposals for upstate New York casinos congregate at the Grandview in Poughkeepsie today for a public hearing about the future developments. 

The 12-hour hearing is expected to shed light on the future of casinos in the Catskills and mid-Hudson Valley region, which has turned out to be the most attractive area for developers. Nine construction proposals — six in Orange County, two in Sullivan, and one in Ulster — are on the table for the Hudson Valley alone.

darryl bautista of poughkeepsie journal

As only four out of the total 16 proposals are to be granted, residents and officials from all counties are expressing their particular need for a casino.

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“You probably know the casino carrot has been dangled in front of us for over 40 years,” said Sullivan County resident Tom Wasserman, who claimed that his county is in desperate need of an economical surge, reported the Poughkeepsie Journal. “We want them, we need them and we deserve them.”

Mayor of the economically struggling city of Newburgh, Judy Kennedy, thought otherwise.

“There is no place else in this region that needs [a casino] like this city does,” she said, according to the Poughkeepsie Journal.

The Poughkeepsie hearing is open to the public and takes place at the Grandview on 176 Rinaldi Blvd. from 8:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m.

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