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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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State
Rep. Jake Wheatley |
  
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Wheatley applauds decision on Pittsburgh casino
PITTSBURGH, Aug. 15 – State Rep. Jake Wheatley, D-Pittsburgh, welcomed Thursday's decision by the state Gaming Control Board to approve a financial arrangement that will allow the Pittsburgh slots casino project to proceed.
Wheatley, whose district includes the North Shore casino site, provided testimony to the board in support of the business agreement between PITG Gaming, which secured the slots license in 2006, and its new partner, Walton Street Capital. "The proposed casino complex represents real progress for the city of Pittsburgh, property tax relief for homeowners, and a commitment to minority ownership from the Commonwealth," Wheatley told the board. "I absolutely believe that this agreement is both necessary and vital to continue the process of bringing our citizenry additional property tax reduction and the expansion of work and other economic opportunities." Wheatley also testified, "I offer this support to the extent that there are clear and documented agreements that guarantee Mr. (Don) Barden’s previous commitments to the Hill District, including $3 million in economic development funding as well as the $3 million to the North Side Leadership Conference, for community improvements for businesses and housing . In addition, I want the board to be confident Mr. Barden’s new investors will make the same commitment to diversity that he made in terms of construction jobs and casino positions."
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EDITORS / ASSIGNMENT DESKS: Wheatley's full testimony to the board is attached (2 pages).
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MEDIA CONTACT: Ben Turner
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Testimony of Rep. Jake Wheatley, Jr.
Aug. 14, 2008
Madam Chairwoman and members of the board:
I am State Representative Jake Wheatley, and I represent the 19th Legislative District.
Since the passage of Act 71 (of 2004), I have been an active member of the General Assembly advocating to make sure that the voices of those impacted most by any expansion of gaming in the City of Pittsburgh would be heard. My legislative district is not unlike many urban districts in the state or, in fact, the country. It has felt the impact of an aging declining population and its residents have struggled under the worst of economic conditions.
The proposed casino complex represents real progress for the city of Pittsburgh, property tax relief for homeowners, and a commitment to minority ownership from the Commonwealth. With that said, I ask you to allow the proposed business agreement between PITG Gaming and Walton Street Capital to pass this board.
When most, if not all, of the elected officials in the Southwestern Region of the Commonwealth hurriedly signed onto a plan that would have placed the Pittsburgh Category 1 license in a residential community against strong community opposition; I stood with those residents and asked the Gaming Control Board to include their voices and you did.
Again in December of 2006, when through your due diligence and exhaustive deliberations you awarded the Pittsburgh Category 1 License to PITG Gaming, and most of the regional voices were either muted or outwardly hostile to that decision, I stood with many in the Pittsburgh community and welcomed that historic decision because it showed that the members of the Gaming Control Board were truly interested in meeting all of the mandates and commitments of the law which created it—including to the articles mandating diversity for the state’s casinos within Act 71.
Act 71 includes clear instructions for the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board "to promote and ensure diversity" in the Commonwealth’s casinos, and the board’s brave and historic decision to award Mr. Barden, who holds the only license in the state that was awarded to a minority-owned company, should be applauded.
Now, almost two years later, and with major economic conditions that none of us could have imagined, the unfortunate has happened: PITG, and its owner Mr. Barden, through no fault of their own, particularly due to the turbulence in the international credit markets, has had to find a financial partner to assist in the completion of this license.
I have written to you on several occasions in support of PITG as a company, and also in support of Mr. Don Barden as a businessman and owner. I offer this support to the extent that there are clear and documented agreements that guarantee Mr. Barden’s previous commitments to the Hill District, including $3 million in economic development funding as well as the $3 million to the North Side Leadership Conference, for community improvements for businesses and housing . In addition, I want the board to be confident Mr. Barden’s new investors will make the same commitment to diversity that he made in terms of construction jobs and casino positions.
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As a member of the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus, and as an elected official whose district is impacted and encompasses this facility, I absolutely believe that this agreement is both necessary and vital to continue the process of bringing our citizenry additional property tax reduction and the expansion of work and other economic opportunities.
We must make sure that any new ownership has made and documented their support for those agreements that were in place with Mr. Barden and PITG Gaming. Again, I stand ready to support the decisions of this body, but I would implore you to make very clear your commitment to insuring all communities of the Commonwealth have real opportunities to benefit from this new industry.
I urge you to not delay in your decision, not only to grant property tax relief to those who need it desperately, but also to show your commitment to both the City of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County, who have already included projected casino revenues in their future budgets.
Above all, I ask you to stay true to your mandate, set forth by Act 71, and reaffirm your pledge to diversity in the great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Sincerely,
Jake Wheatley, Jr.