Please identify yourself for the record and proceed with your testimony.
Good evening, Council President and Councilman DiCicco. My name is Alfred Brown, and I'm the Vice President of the Point Breeze Community Development Coalition, and I'm here to read a testimony or a letter from the coalition of 40 organizations-plus that support one hundred percent the development of Foxwoods Casino. I (indiscernible) urge you to support Foxwoods Casino. The casino will enhance the waterfront, making it an inviting place to attend and be an 198 4/30/08 - RULES - 080027, 28 entertainment vehicle for the Philadelphia community and surrounding areas. In addition to all of the above, it will financially help and decrease our tax burden through tax paid, create more jobs, and, most importantly, give the City a boost for economic growth. On a daily basis, we have people leaving Philadelphia to attend casinos in New Jersey, Chester, and Delaware. We would like to end that process and have those revenues come to Philadelphia to support us in Philadelphia. So overall, what we are asking for is for Council to support Foxwoods, to have the casinos and have those casinos now. We need those jobs. We need it for the better good of the City of Philadelphia, not just the west side or the east side of Broad Street. 199 4/30/08 - RULES - 080027, 28 Thank you.
Good evening, Madam President. My name is Wayne Rachman. I'm the chairperson of the South Philadelphia Block Association, which is on the west side of your district, and I'm also the chairperson of Point Breeze Network Plus, which is umbrella groups of about 60 community organizations, which we meet monthly to discuss certain issues and how we can integrate our services in helping not only just seniors but people who are caught up in the avenue of crime in our community. And also, over the last five years, we've cleaned up over 3,000 lots with partnership with the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. I just want to suspend my 200 4/30/08 - RULES - 080027, 28 previous comments that I have in my mind because what I envision happening right here at this particular moment is a sad state of affairs. I feel -- most of my life I've been working with the underprivileged here in Philadelphia. I marched with King, I marched with Cecil Moore, I shook President Kennedy's hand when I was a kid, and I was an ex-marine, Vietnam, very proud of this country. But right now, I feel as though my colleagues over here -- call 'em Foxwoods or whatever -- are -- they're not getting -- they're not really benefiting from a word I keep hearing ringing out in this great auditorium, "democracy." And I fought most of my life for democracy. I put my life on the line in the United States Marine Corps for democracy. And I don't believe that they are getting their fair share of democracy. 201 4/30/08 - RULES - 080027, 28 They have formed -- they have came here, submitted every document by triple or double of what their agreement was supposed to have been about. And from the way I've seen things happening here, the opposing group have been very disrespectful. They haven't been respectful to the process that's been presented here. Now, politically, I've been in politics, as you know, Ms. Verna, for 35 years in the City, ever since I've been about years old. That's the 15 way I see things, that's the way I 16 feel 'em, and I believe it's a matter of unfairness, grossly unfairness. They've been respectful, they've been quiet, they've been considerate, but they have not truly been given the democracy that they really deserve. (Timer bell rings.)
202 4/30/08 - RULES - 080027, 28 You're welcome. That concludes our -- MR. McPHERSON: I have one other name that was added. I'm sorry. Terry Bennett? (Witness comes forward.)
Good evening. Please identify yourself for the record.
Good afternoon. Terry Bennett. I'm from South Philadelphia. Good day, Madam President Council President and the Councilmembers. I'm Terry Bennett. I was born and raised here in Philadelphia, born and raised right here in Philadelphia, right in the Point Breeze area. I'm also a 20-year casino worker and still work in the casino today. I'm here today in support of the Foxwoods project. I live -- we need the casinos to come forth. We need them real badly in our community. 203 4/30/08 - RULES - 080027, 28 I moved back here. I have worked in Atlantic City and Las Vegas, moved back here to Philadelphia. It's very important that we bring these jobs forth here in Philadelphia and get this project up and running. And I also want to say that Foxwoods, having worked in the industry, is a very good company, a very good company, has a very good reputation in the business, and I'm glad they came here to Philadelphia. And I would like to see the casinos come here to Philadelphia because it's an industry that is moving, as you all well know, that is moving and growing. And I don't want to see this pass by this great City of Philadelphia, the one that I've come to love and live in now. I'm a homeowner here. I raised my family, working in the casino. And somebody -- I listened to 204 4/30/08 - RULES - 080027, 28 somebody say "low wage paying jobs." I've raised a family, I went back to college, working in a casino and graduated from college. I bought my home, a number of homes, here in Philadelphia, in South Philadelphia. Came out of my pocket from working. And have a large youth group right there in Point Breeze to give back to the community. So I believe wholeheartedly in the work experience with the casino that can bring, what it can do for a person, and the things that it can do for the City of Philadelphia. So I urge you to let this project go forth and bring this forth. Thank you very much.
Does that conclude our list, Mr. McPherson? MR. McPHERSON: We have one 205 4/30/08 - RULES - 080027, 28 other gentleman to speak, but I didn't get his name. UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Excuse me?
Is there anyone else that would like to testify? Please approach the witness table. (Witnesses come forward.)
How are you? Kindly identify yourself for the record.
Robert Santora, Sr. I'm a lifelong resident, born and raised in South Philly, as the Councilpersons have been. I've been -- I have been attending the hearings, I've been speaking to people both on -- on both 206 4/30/08 - RULES - 080027, 28 sides. I'm a businessman in the City, a small developer off and on. And my concern is, I have walked off development sites because of the groups in the neighborhood: One group wanted it, the other group didn't, and it wasn't worth the aggravation, and we've left. One was in Mantua, and it cost them a job program and a lot of money that was going to be, you know, pumped into it. My concern is seeing that happen here, one of them. The other one is, as a small businessman, the debt of the City and the taxes that we need and the burden that it's putting on my level of business is driving a lot of my friends out of the City. And I really feel that this issue has to be resolved. As I said, I have spoken to people on both sides, and I'm -- I'm speaking in favor of, you know, Foxwoods right now. 207 4/30/08 - RULES - 080027, 28 And I've heard miscommunications that you would not believe, I mean, just out-and-out lies that it sounds like someone's just thrown in to stir up the pot. My concern is my city. I live here, I was born and raised here, I'm not leaving here. And when people like me and friends leave the City and take their businesses with you, we pay U&O tax, we pay BPT taxes, we pay the Special Services District taxes, we pay the hidden taxes, the Parking Authority tax and the trash taxes. We get nailed because the City needs the money. I understand this. I understand that the people that work in City Hall have to get in every dollar that they can. (Timer bell rings.)
Some of the fines are outrageous, but it has to be done in order for the City to survive. To 208 4/30/08 - RULES - 080027, 28 drive a tax-making machine out of the City doesn't make sense to me because we need the break, the businessmen need the break in the City. We need some of the burden relieved from our backs. Thank you.
My name's Ed Kerlin. I'm a lifelong resident of Pennsport Civic. I brought the bullhorn along today basically as a symbol. I think that you can tell, and you've seen over the last two years, that you have a very determined and a very dedicated group of people who are opposing the casino here. I heard two earlier testifiers mention the word, the adjective 209 4/30/08 - RULES - 080027, 28 "welcoming." One was in reference to the traffic so that the traffic configuration would be welcoming to the visitors. And someone in the Hotel Association used the word "welcoming" and "hospitality" and "entertainment complex." And the thought that I would like to convey to you is that if people don't realize now that this group behind us is not giving up -- they have not given up in two years, they're not giving up in another two years. (Applause.)
I don't think they'll give up in the next ten years. And what the City should worry about and what the State should worry about and what the public relations professionals should worry about is, we're spending millions of dollars to promote Philadelphia and Pennsylvania as a tourist destination. And when 210 4/30/08 - RULES - 080027, 28 the likes of Rene Goodwin and Mary Reinhart are out there and people are stuck in traffic and they have this bullhorn screaming in their face, I don't think that does anything at all for our image. I don't think the site of riot police on opening day does anything for the image of our city. And I think that they are not to blame; they are only fighting to protect what is dear to them. So don't worry about them laying down in front of the bulldozers; worry about them laying down in front of the limousines when Quincy Jones and Ed Snider and Ron Rubin show up, because they'll be there with their kids, with their families for years to come. Thank you.
My name's Chuck Valentine, a lifelong Philadelphian, 211 4/30/08 - RULES - 080027, 28 six blocks from one of the casinos. I'm just here to testify that the facts speak for themselves; City Council knows that. Where they're located is no benefit to those neighborhoods nor to the City as a whole. New York City does not have a casino, nor will they have a casino. Are they smarter than this city or this City Council? No. They're bigger than us. So is Los Angeles, so is Houston. Do they have casinos? No. 15 Are they smarter than us? No. But they're bigger than us. Chicago is also bigger than us. Do they have a casino? No. Are they going to have one soon? Yes. The Illinois legislature passed gaming, but guess who owns the license in Chicago? The city owns it. So when it costs too much to for the city taxpayers with that casino in their city, they can choose to close it 212 4/30/08 - RULES - 080027, 28 down. We can't. You're stuck with it. So are they smarter than us? No. Are they bigger? Yes. Are they greater? No. 7 But the point is, City Council is doing the right thing. Continue the fight to re-site 'em; they're no 10 good anyway. (Applause.)
I believe that concludes our witness list, and this committee will stand in recess until the call of the Chair. Thank you all very much for your patience. (Applause.) (Proceedings end at 6:49 p.m.) * * * 213 C E R T I F I C A T E I HEREBY CERTIFY that the proceedings of the City of Philadelphia Council Committee on Rules are contained fully and accurately in the stenographic notes taken by me on Wednesday, April 30, 2008, and that this is a true and correct statement of same. __________________________________ JOSEPHINE CARDILLO Registered Professional Reporter (The foregoing certification of this transcript does not apply to any reproduction of the same by any means, unless under the direct control and/or supervision of the certifying reporter.)