The players holding the keys to the next round of downstate casino approvals

After years of bureaucracy, projects taken up and cast aside, the time has come for more casino-related bureaucracy: The state Gaming Commission has closed applications for up to three full downstate casino licenses it is slated to award by the end of this year. But a crucial hurdle for each of the eight proposals is the approval of a Community Advisory Committee by a two-thirds vote, which each must do by Sept. 30. The members of each committee are selected by the governor, the local mayor or county executive, and state and city lawmakers. In some cases, the members – who were just appointed this week – are the elected officials themselves or the appointers’ staffers, but others are figures largely out of the public eye. So who are the people tasked with making this critical casino approval? We looked into it.

Bally’s New York Casino – Ferry Point, Bronx

Gov. Kathy Hochul – Rafael Salaberrios

State Sen. Nathalia Fernandez – Alex Porco

Assembly Member Michael Benedetto – Matthew McKay

Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson – Lisa Sorin

New York City Mayor Eric Adams – Paul Philips

New York City Council Member Kristy Marmorato – Danielle Volpe

For the most part, none of the picks for the Bally’s CAC are particularly surprising. While Hochul selected Empire State Development’s Rafael Salaberrios for the panel, state Sen. Nathalia Fernandez and Assembly Member Michael Benedetto – who pushed legislation to allow a potential casino to be built at Ferry Point Park, which was legally state parkland – picked their chief of staff and deputy chief of staff, respectively. More telling, however, is Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson’s choice: She selected Bronx Chamber of Commerce President Lisa Sorin, a vocal supporter of Bally’s proposal. Gibson previously stopped short of getting behind the project, saying she’d let the process play out. Meanwhile, Adams chose Department of City Planning Bronx Director Paul Philips and New York City Council Member Kristy Marmorato, who is vehemently against the proposal, named Bronx real estate executive Danielle Volpe.

Resorts World New York City – Southeast Queens

Gov. Kathy Hochul – Stevens Martinez

State Sen. James Sanders Jr. – Himself

Assembly Member Stacey Pheffer Amato – Herself

Queens Borough President Donovan Richards – Himself

New York City Mayor Eric Adams – Nicole Garcia

New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams – Betty Braton

Half of the CAC members for the Resorts World New York City bid decided to take matters into their own hands – and most of the others stayed close to home. While New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams selected longtime Queens Community Board 10 Chair Betty Braton for the committee, Mayor Adams went with Nicole Garcia, the Queens borough commissioner for the city Department of Transportation. Hochul named Stevens Martinez, her deputy director of intergovernmental affairs on Long Island.

Metropolitan Park – Willets Point, Queens

Gov. Kathy Hochul – Gregory Anderson

State Sen. Jessica Ramos – No nominee named yet

Assembly Member Larinda Hooks – Herself

Queens Borough President Donovan Richards – Himself

New York City Mayor Eric Adams – Lin Zeng

New York City Council Member Francisco Moya – Himself

Mets owner Steve Cohen’s bid for a Citi Field-adjacent casino and entertainment complex was the subject of much controversy as state Sen. Jessica Ramos opted last year not to introduce legislation to alienate the stadium parking lots – which was legally state parkland – for the proposal. It ultimately passed as fellow Queens state Sen. John Liu bypassed Ramos and carried the legislation himself – but notably, it is still Ramos’ appointment to make to the CAC. And yet – she has yet to do so. After such a long process, it’s not so surprising that Assembly Member Larinda Hooks, Queens Borough President Donovan Richards and New York City Council Member Francisco Moya, all of whom supported the plan, decided to keep the decision in their own hands. While Adams chose Lin Zeng, the director of the Queens office at the city Department of City Planning, Hochul stuck with her trend of naming members of her team to the CACs, this time, Gregory Anderson, her deputy director of state operations.

The Coney – Coney Island, Brooklyn

Gov. Kathy Hochul – Portia Henry

State Sen. Jessica Scarcella-Spanton – Herself

Assembly Member Alec Brook-Krasny – Marissa Solomon

Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso – Himself

New York City Mayor Eric Adams – Alex Sommer

New York City Council Member Justin Brannan – Himself

While several elected officials appointed themselves to the CAC for The Coney, including City Council Member Justin Brannan, who had previously expressed some reservation about the proposal before singing a slightly more welcoming tune this spring, Alec Brook-Krasny went in another direction. He picked a vocal opponent of the plan in Marissa Solomon, who volunteers at the Coney Island Museum. Portia Henry is a program manager at Amtrak (and former 40 Under 40 honoree) and Alex Sommer is the director of the Brooklyn office for the city Department of City Planning.

Freedom Plaza – East Side, Manhattan

Gov. Kathy Hochul – Nichols Silbersack

State Sen. Kristen Gonzalez – Sandra McKee

Assembly Member Harvey Epstein – Reshma Patel

Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine – Celeste Royo

New York City Mayor Eric Adams – Jennifer Sta. Ines

New York City Council Member Keith Powers – Molly Hollister

Two of the six members on the Freedom Plaza CAC are members of Manhattan Community Board 6: Board Chair Sandra McKee and Board Member Reshma Patel – and Molly Hollister is a former board chair. The community board previously voted to oppose the plan. Meanwhile, Celeste Royo is a senior urban planner in Levine’s office, Jennifer Sta. Ines is the Manhattan deputy borough commissioner for the city Department of Transportation and Nichols Silbersack is Hochul’s deputy policy director.

Empire City Casino by MGM Resorts – Yonkers

Gov. Kathy Hochul – Maria Fernandez

State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins – Larry Wilson

Assembly Member Nader Sayegh – Frank Jereis

Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins – Joe Apicella

Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano – James Cavanaugh

One of the two racinos applying for a full license, Empire City Casino by MGM Resorts already plays a crucial role in Yonkers’ economy. Yet: state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins named Larry Wilson of the Hyatt Association of Southeast Yonkers to the CAC, who has been skeptical of the proposal. On the other end of the spectrum, Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins selected Joe Apicella, a real estate development executive with MacQuesten Development. Frank Jereis is the executive director of the Yonkers Democratic Party and Maria Fernandez is Hochul’s deputy secretary for education. James Cavanaugh has worn many hats in Yonkers city government, including formerly as a deputy mayor as well as planning and development commissioner.

Caesars Palace Times Square – Times Square, Manhattan

Gov. Kathy Hochul – Peter Hatch

State Sen. Liz Krueger – Richard Gottfried

Assembly Member Tony Simone – Matthew Tighe

Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine – Chris Carroll

New York City Mayor Eric Adams – Laura Smith

New York City Council Member Erik Bottcher – Carl Wilson

There are a few familiar faces among the Caesars Palace CAC appointees: former New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection Commissioner Peter Hatch and former Assembly Member Richard Gottfried. Simone, Levine and Bottcher all looked to their chiefs of staff for the committee, while Adams chose Laura Smith, who is deputy executive director for strategic planning at the city Department of City Planning.

The Avenir – West Side, Manhattan

Gov. Kathy Hochul – Angel Vasquez

State Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal – Richard Gottfried

Assembly Member Tony Simone – Matthew Tighe

Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine – Madeleine McGrory

New York City Mayor Eric Adams – Nabeela Malik

New York City Council Member Erik Bottcher – Quentin Heilbroner

Yes, you read that right – Gottfried and Tighe are in fact serving on two CACs. They are joined by Angel Vasquez, who is deputy secretary for union relations under Hochul, Madeline McGrory is director of land use and planning under Levine and Nabeela Malik is deputy director for Manhattan in the city Department of City Planning. Quentin Heilbroner is Bottcher’s liaison to Manhattan Community Board 4.