Developers and businesspeople behind proposals to bring casinos to the five boroughs have cut five- and six-figure checks to the New York State Democratic Committee’s accounts since the start of 2023, according to state and federal campaign finance records.
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Steve Cohen is the state Democratic Committee’s single largest donor, according to a Gothamist analysis of state and federal campaign finance records.
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Cohen contributed a total of $235,000 to the state Democratic Party since the start of 2023. That’s on top of $167,500 he gave the party’s committees in the prior two-year cycle and $109,600 he gave in 2018, according to state records.
Since the parking lots surrounding Citi Field are technically parkland, Cohen needs the state Legislature and Hochul to approve a bill to alienate it for his casino bid. He struck out during the 2024 legislative session, when Sen. Jessica Ramos of Queens — a Democrat who represents Willets Point — declined to introduce the bill.
Cohen will try again in 2025. A spokesperson for his investment firm, Point72, declined to comment Wednesday.
I will comment that the area is not “technically” parkland, that’s like saying Earth is “technically” a planet. It’s parkland, and it’s not meant to be a casino.
By the way $235,000 sounds like a lot of money but it’s not really that big a number. Now, $1,800,000,000 , thats a big number. You wonder what motivates a person to write that kind of check.
