I don’t know what to say about this I am disgusted by it.
My take: If the billionaire wants to build a casino, then he should acquire some for-sale land and go ahead and build five casinos on the for-sale land….but not on our parkland.
Mr. Cohen has the means to make his existing parking lot more like what some think a park shoud look like. Build that tiered lot you want, and plant some grass., some trees, and treat the people of New York to a few benches. Maybe even a see-saw. Why does there have to be a casino?
Gothamist reports…
The Democratic-led state Senate voted 54-5 on Tuesday to allow New York City to reclassify 50 acres of parking lots surrounding the Mets’ stadium, a key approval for the Cohen-backed project that is seeking one of the state’s three remaining licenses to operate a private casino.
The bill, which the state Assembly approved earlier this month, now heads to Gov. Kathy Hochul for her signature or veto.
…The land, which is currently occupied by Citi Field parking lots, is currently public parkland. For the private project to move forward, lawmakers had to vote to allow New York City to “alienate” the parkland.
In October, the New York Post shared:
The hedge fund king has been a major benefactor to Hochul and the Democratic Party over the years.
He and his wife, Alexandra, donated a combined $136,700 to the Hochul campaign in 2021, according to state records.
Cohen, the founder of Point72 asset management, also was the biggest donor to the New York State Democratic Committee in its effort to gain control of the House of Representatives in the upcoming election, donating $235,000 from Jan. 1, 2023 to July 11, 2024, according to Gothamist.
I’m no expert but I have a guess on which way the governor is going to vote.