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PHILADELPHIA, April 10 – State Rep. Babette Josephs, D-Phila., voiced support for the efforts of Casino-Free Philadelphia at today's Casino Debate-In, held at the governor's Philadelphia office.
The debate-in was organized to demand a full, public debate with the governor about two proposed Philadelphia area casinos.
"Much of the planning for Philadelphia's casinos has been done without enough community input and transparency," Josephs said. "The casino locations draw crowds, increase traffic and potentially cause negative influences on residential neighborhoods. Philadelphia citizens need to have their voices heard and their concerns answered."
Josephs said while she believes casinos in Philadelphia will offer significant revenue opportunities for residents in the city and state, they will most directly impact the neighborhoods in which they will be sited, and the casinos should not be allowed to run roughshod over residents' concerns as they work to get their facilities built.
"I believe it is imperative that the public be kept involved in something that will have a direct impact on the quality of life in their neighborhoods," Josephs said. "Our neighborhoods are part of the fabric of a vibrant, vital Philadelphia, and they should be protected from the things that can destroy them and the quality of life of those who live there."
Josephs has advocated for more local involvement and oversight since the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board first began considering awarding slot licenses in the city.
She criticized the PGCB for not providing enough public access to casino applications during the review process, and she fought legislation that would have removed local authority regarding casino zoning decisions and allowed casinos to ignore the city's no-smoking ordinance.
Josephs also stopped a plan to remove from the legislature the power for approving riparian land conveyances. Legislation was planned to allow the governor to convey them directly to developers, but Josephs was successful in getting it dropped.
Most recently, her legislation that would require a 1,500-foot buffer zone between schools, churches, playgrounds and the casinos in Philadelphia was voted out of committee in preparation for consideration by the full House.
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