Thursday, September 22, 2011

Shinnecock and Ilitch affiliate Gateway Casino Resorts paid $1.5 million to New York Lobbyists

Backers of various proposals to build Native American casinos on Long Island, NY, including a casino complex adjacent to Belmont Park Race Track, have paid New York state lobbyists more than $1.5 million since 2005.  The Shinnecock Indian Nation bankrolled by its partners, the people behind a Detroit-based syndication known as Gateway Casino Resorts, have funneled a total of $1,502,280 to these four lobbying firms:

Lobbying Firm
Total Fees Paid
Mercury
(fka IGR Group, fka FHGR, fka Mercury Public Affairs, LLC)
$1,234,780
Brian R. Meara + Meara Avela Dickinson
$240,000
Meyer Suozzi English & Klein, PC
$20,000
Park Strategies, LLC
$7,500
TOTAL LOBBYING FEES PAID
$1,502,280


More than 80% of the lobbying fees paid by the Shinnecock Indian Nation/Gateway Casino Resorts have gone to Mercury Public Affairs which has also been known as IGR Group and FHGR (Fleishman Hillard Government Relations). Mercury lobbyists representing the casino interests have included Peter BardenThomas DohertyKieran Mahoney, Michael McKeon and Mark Streb. Doherty, Mahoney and McKeon had ties to former Governor George Pataki.  McKeon was executive director of Republicans for Cuomo helping New York Governor Andrew Cuomo win his 2010 election.

The latest edition to the Shinnecock/Gateway stable of lobbying firms is Park Strategies, LLC.  That firm was founded by former U.S. Senator (NY) Alfonse D'Amoto.  Among the lobbyists registered to support the expansion of casinos on Long Island is Anthony Cancellieri, former Chief Deputy County Executive of Nassau County.  Belmont Park Race Track, one of the preferred locations for a Shinnecock/Gateway casino development, is located in Nassau County, NY.

During 2011, The Shinnecock Indians and Gateway Casino Resorts had monthly retainer agreements with four New York lobbying firms as follows:


2011 Monthly Retainers
Lobbying Firm
Retainer Amount
Mercury
$10,000
Meara Avela Dickinson
$10,000
Meyer Suozzi English & Klein, PC
$10,000
Park  Strategies, LLC
$15,000



Source: records available at nyintegrity.org

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2 comments:

koh lanta villas said...

This just shows that big businesses can use it's resources to protect their interests and be exempted from some government policies because of the work of these lobbyists that they paid.

Marjorie R. Johnson said...

Casinos are are a growth industry. This is why they need to fund the politicians that would file legislation that would be advantageous to them.

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