Q & A Taking a stand on the casino By Christopher Schobert; photo by kc kratt Dianne Bennett is, without a doubt, one of the most respected legal minds in Western New York, and even though she is retired from Hodgson Russ Attorneys, she is as active in the community as she’s ever been. Today, there is one issue in particular that is of the utmost importance to her: keeping a casino out of the city of Buffalo. Bennett plays a key role in Citizens Against Casino Gambling in Erie County, a group of important Western New Yorkers who believe that the Seneca Gaming Corporation’s downtown casino is the wrong move for a city struggling financially. It’s an issue that changes quickly, but Bennett spoke with Spree recently to outline what she and the CACGEC believes, and why. Author’s note: The downtown casino issue has changed on an almost weekly basis over the last few months. As Spree went to press in mid-December, the CACGEC and the other plaintiffs have filed a new brief in Federal Court in Buffalo responding to the Senecas’ most recent economic arguments, an attempt at keeping the downtown casino open. Coalition lead counsel Cornelius Murray argues that “the Senecas ... have flouted the law and the court order, and they have grossly exaggerated the casino’s alleged economic benefits to the community while ignoring its negative effects.” Bennett’s interview was conducted shortly before this latest news. How did you become involved in this battle in the first place? Have you always been interested in gambling issues? I had no prior involvement in gambling issues. I was a business person in Buffalo, and Buffalo is the city in which I’ve spent my adult life. I continue to be interested in helping maintain and increase economic development in Buffalo. I went to one meeting of CACGEC, and that was it. Then Robert Kresse called me and said he thought a suit could be funded, and that he was gathering some people who were supportive of the suit. I went to that meeting, and the rest is history. You retired from Hodgson Russ a few years ago. How had you planned to spend your retirement? Was your involvement in the casino debate something unexpected? I didn’t have any specific plans for retirement other than spending more time with my children and grandchildren, doing some community service, working to defeat George W. Bush, spending more time with my husband, even reading the New York Times every day. My involvement in the casino debate was completely unexpected. Is this more than just a legal issue to you—is it a moral one, as well? It’s an economic issue to me—the survival of the city. It’s not moral to me. Being involved in the anticasino fight has made me more aware of the tremendous social, and real dollar, costs to casinos—family abuse, other crimes, bankruptcy. But I’m a civil libertarian, and have a hard time telling people they can’t waste their own money. What do you say to people who feel that any business development/job creator downtown that’s also an attraction must be a good thing in these economic times? There are enterprises that result in a net drain to a community. All independents studies show that casinos take away up to $3 for each $1 they contribute. Even charitable contributions decrease when a casino comes to town. People gamble within twenty miles of their home. In the case of this casino, and the city’s and county’s paltry share (versus losing all tax dollars), it’s simply a black hole. There’s absolutely no doubt in my mind it is a huge net loss for our city. To paraphrase Larry Quinn, if we get a downtown casino, we might as well have a billboard saying “loser city.” Did Judge William Skretny’s ruling hit all the key points you hoped it would? I think it tackled them all, but of course I disagree with the conclusion on sovereign land. Judge Skretny has been very thoughtful, learned, and decisive in this case. He has declared the casino illegal twice. And yet the money keeps going in the slots there. The owners of the casino are aggressively thumbing their nose at the judge, in my opinion. Does it disappoint you that so many elected officials—including Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown—continue to speak about it purely in development/construction terms? Very much so. Political contributions affect decisions in the Indian gambling arena—all over the country, as we all well know (just look at Jack Abramoff). There are a few local politicians who have stood up to very aggressive campaigning against them; they’ve been opposed partly because of their stand against this ruinous casino project. The vast majority of business men and women to whom I speak are very much against the casino, but very few will take a public stand. Mark Hamister and Tom Golisano are two who have. Everyone listens to Warren Buffet, who clearly thinks casinos are bad for a city. So listen up, Buffalo! Almost no business people think this casino makes sense for Buffalo, and many have said so to the elected officials one-on-one. Why don’t they pay any attention to the business people? The elected officials tend to be seduced by immediate numbers—alleged “new jobs” (follow the money—they’ve gone from 4,000 to 1,000 to … well, anyone can claim there will be new jobs), or construction jobs (not long term)—they don’t look at the net numbers. No household would run on a budget long if it didn’t look at the money going out as well as the money going in—but that’s the way our elected officials talk about the casino. How about Governor David Patterson? Do you think that he’ll be encouraging more and more of these types of projects for the revenue they could bring? If Patterson looked at this carefully, he’d understand that the revenue is offset by the costs—infrastructure, closed businesses, loss in tax base, and in taxes. But I am not optimistic that he will get beyond what looks like immediate revenue and do the math. I can still hope he will. Are there any arguments for the casino that make sense to you from a legal standpoint? Of course not! When will you know the fight is over? What constitutes a “victory”? When I’m convinced casino gambling won’t take place in the city of Buffalo. Christopher Schobert is an associate editor of Spree. SUBSCRIBE NOW Back to the Table of Contents Back to Top