Back to List Josephs commends governor for support in re-siting casinos, urges him to use all resources available
PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 6 – State Rep. Babette Josephs, D-Phila., sent a letter to Gov. Ed Rendell today thanking him for his continued support in helping the citizens of Philadelphia in their efforts to re-site the proposed locations of the Foxwoods and Sugarhouse casinos.
Josephs asked Rendell to put the resources available to him to use to identify other sites in Philadelphia for the casinos to solve the problem of the current sites being too close to residential areas. Josephs' request comes in the wake of a state Supreme Court ruling that determined the location of casinos in Pennsylvania is the sole discretion of the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board.
"I have been a long-time supporter of ensuring our residents have a voice and, in this case, their voices should be heard on the best proposed locations for the casinos -- places where their traffic, pollution and crowds will have less of an impact on their neighborhoods," Josephs said.
Josephs said an unofficial poll showed 95 percent of voters polled last spring said that Philadelphia should ban casinos within 1,500 feet of schools, residential neighborhoods, playgrounds and places of worship.
She has introduced that legislation in the form of H.B. 1477, which would put the 1,500-foot buffer zone in state law. Josephs said she thinks casinos can be a good thing for Pennsylvania but Philadelphians should have a say in the process and the current locations were picked by the Gaming Control Board without taking their concerns into consideration.
Josephs hopes the governor will follow through in supporting the citizens of Philadelphia and aid them in finding better-suited locations for the area's casinos.