Essex County Executive wants a casino in Newark

Essex County Executive Joseph N. Di Vincenzo, Jr. announced this week that he would like New Jersey state leaders to consider Newark, or Essex County, as the host community for a new casino. He believes casino development in Newark would stimulate economic development, attract new businesses, create construction jobs and permanent casino jobs, and generate a new stream of recurring revenue for the State, County and City in terms of sales tax and property tax.

“As elected leaders, it is our responsibility to promote projects that stimulate economic development, job creation and quality of life. We believe the development of a casino in Newark or Essex County is an undertaking that will spur the continued revitalization and strengthen the stability of the County and the state’s largest city,” DiVincenzo wrote in a letter sent past week to Governor Chris Christie, Senate President Stephen M. Sweeney and Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto. “We request that you consider Newark and Essex as a possible location for a casino in Northern New Jersey,” added.

While ideas to build casinos in Jersey City and the Meadowlands have been made public, DiVincenzo said he believes “Newark is a better location because of the extensive transportation network that is already established. Mass transportation (buses and trains) and major highways make it easy for anyone in Northern New Jersey or New York City to reach Newark. In addition, the Newark Light Rail links the city to Newark Penn Station and Newark Liberty International Airport, making it accessible to anyone on the East Coast and internationally.”

“A casino also will help continue to transform Newark and Essex County into a destination,” DiVincenzo said. “With the Prudential Center, NJPAC, Newark Museum, Symphony Hall and WBGO already established in the Downtown, we already have the cultural infrastructure in place to attract diverse crowds for athletic events, concerts and entertainment shows. In fact, while recently I attended an ice show featuring characters from “Frozen” with my granddaughter at The Prudential Center, it made me feel proud that I was able to enjoy such a high-quality event right here in Newark and Essex County,” he pointed out.

Smaller, regionalized casinos have become successful and popular destinations in Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware and Maryland.
“The development of a casino most definitely will put people back to work. Despite the economic recovery on Wall Street, Newark and Essex County continue to have among the highest rates of unemployment. A project of this magnitude most definitely will create numerous construction jobs, but it will also create hundreds of permanent jobs,” he said. “Establishing new, recurring streams of revenue will help the city overcome its financial difficulties and contribute to our economic stability,” he concluded.