New York has taken a key step as it moves toward granting licenses for up to three downstate casinos, expected to be awarded by the end of 2025.
Dozens of appointments to Community Advisory Committees have now been made. Committee members are tasked with evaluating the eight applicants vying to operate one of the proposed casinos in the New York City area.
Separate committees were set up to review and possibly recommend each proposed project.
Top officials in state, city made appointments
According to the Gaming Facility Location Board website, the Community Advisory Committees (CACs) will “review the application, gauge local support, and ultimately issue a finding determining whether there is adequate support for the proposed project. This affirmative finding is a requirement for the application to be considered by the GFLB.”
Several officials were involved in selecting members for the various CACs, including:
- Gov. Kathy Hochul
- NYC Mayor Eric Adams
- State legislators
- NYC councilmembers
- NYC borough presidents
- New York county executives
Some appointed committee members themselves and others assigned the job to staff members. Appointees included some officials who have voiced concerns over the casinos.
Forty-six chosen for CACs
Below is the list of members of each of the eight CACs that will review the applicants:
The Avenir
- Richard Gottfried, retired Assembly member
- Quentin Heilbroner, Bottcher’s Community Board 4 liaison
- Madeleine McGrory, director of Land Use and Planning, Manhattan Borough President’s Office
- Nabeela Malik, deputy director, Manhattan City Planning
- Matthew Tighe, chief of staff for Assembly Member Tony Simone
- Angel Vasquez, deputy secretary for Union Relations, Governor’s Office
Bally’s Bronx Casino
- Matthew McKay, deputy chief of staff for Assembly Member Michael Benedetto
- Paul Philips, director of Student Communication at Hunter College
- Alex Porco, chief of staff for state Sen. Nathalia Fernandez
- Rafael Salaberrios, senior VP, Small Business Capital Access, Empire State Development
- Lisa Sorin, president of Bronx Chamber of Commerce
- Danielle Volpe, VP & general counsel for Posillico Civil Inc.
Caesars Times Square
- Chris Carroll, chief of staff for Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine
- Richard Gottfried, retired Assembly member
- Peter Hatch, deputy secretary of Human Services & Mental Hygiene, Governor’s Office
- Laura Smith, chief counsel, Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics
- Matthew Tighe, chief of staff for Assembly Member Tony Simone
- Carl Wilson, chief of staff for New York City Council Member Erik Bottcher
The Coney
- Justin Brannan, New York City Council member
- Portia Henry, assistant secretary for Transportation, Governor’s Office
- Antonio Reynoso, Brooklyn Borough president
- Jessica Scarcella-Spanton, state senator
- Marissa Solomon, director of Pythia Public
- Alex Sommer, director, Dept. of City Planning, Brooklyn Office
Freedom Plaza
- Molly Hollister, former chair of Manhattan Community Board 6
- Sandra McKee, current chair of Manhattan Community Board 6
- Reshma Patel, board member of Manhattan Community Board 6
- Celeste Royo, senior urban planner for Manhattan Borough
- Nichols Silbersack, deputy policy director, Governor’s Office
- Jennifer Sta. Ines, Manhattan Borough deputy commissioner
Metropolitan Park (Hard Rock)
- Gregory Anderson, deputy director of state operations, Governor’s Office
- Larinda Hooks, New York State Assembly member
- Francisco Moya, New York City Council member
- Donovan Richards, Queens Borough president
- Lin Zeng, director, NYC Dept. of City Planning, Queens Office
MGM Empire City
- Joe Apicella, executive VP of MacQuesten Development
- James Cavanaugh, strategic planner, Empire Strategic Planning
- Maria Fernandez, deputy secretary of Education, Governor’s Office
- Frank Jereis, executive director of Yonkers Democratic Party
- Larry Wilson, GM of Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
Resorts World New York City
- Betty Braton, chair, Queens Community Board 10
- Nicole Garcia, NYC DOT Borough commissioner, Queens
- Stevens Martinez, deputy director of Intergovernmental Affairs, Governor’s Office
- Stacey Pheffer Amato, New York State Assembly member
- Donovan Richards, Queens Borough president
- James Sanders Jr., New York state senator
With the committees now all but finalized – state Sen. Jessica Ramos, who has expressed concerns about the Metropolitan Park project, has not yet named a member to that CAC – each CAC now is tasked with moving forward on each of the eight proposals. That includes electing a chair at its first meeting, soliciting and reviewing public comments (delivered in written, electronic, and oral form), and holding at least two public meetings per state statute.
Ultimately, each CAC must hold a vote – with a two-thirds threshold – to advance recommendations to the GFLB.
