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Sweeney says Bergen County casino proposal on hold, Atlantic City gets 5 years to make new gaming legislation work

By DEREK HARPER Staff Writer pressofAtlanticCity.com

State Sen. President Stephen M. Sweeney said an Assembly proposal to discuss allowing Bergen County to host gambling casinos was “going nowhere,” but he did say that lawmakers would reassess the idea after giving Atlantic City five years to improve under last year’s gaming legislation reforms.

Sweeney, a Democrat, said that he has an agreement with state Sen. Paul Sarlo, D-Bergen, Passaic, to give the changes five years to take effect. Sarlo, who Sweeney said strongly supported expanding gaming to Bergen County, could not be reached for comment.

“If it doesn’t work in five years, if everything we’ve done to help Atlantic City get back on its feet doesn’t work, then we have to start looking at it again,” Sweeney said. “But we’re going to give Atlantic City every chance to be successful. It would be unfair to do all the things we did” and also entertain the proposal of Bergen County casinos.

Sweeney said he questioned Assemblyman John Burzichelli, D-Cumberland, Salem, Gloucester, the only legislator from southern New Jersey to sponsor the Bergen County casino study resolution. Sweeney said Burzichelli told him the resolution was sponsored in exchange for other legislation advancing in the last term.

Speaking at an editorial board meeting of The Press of Atlantic City on Friday afternoon, Sweeney, D-Cumberland, Salem, Gloucester, discussed the changes and challenges facing Atlantic City, his relationship with the resort’s mayor and his legislative priorities.

He also said he was not satisfied by the pace of change in the resort. The expectation at last February’s bill signing was for immediate and rapid change; Sweeney said the hiring of top staff “took too long.”

“When you make those announcements and people don’t see a whole lot of differences, well, what you did really didn’t work or they don’t believe that you’re going to make any difference,” Sweeney said.

Sweeney said he believes the resort could make a strong impression this summer, but said everything positive needs to be publicized.

‘Not impressed’ with Langford

The relationship between Sweeney and resort Mayor Lorenzo Langford remains rocky. “When you don’t have a lot of good things to say about someone you don’t say them,” Sweeney said, saying he was “not impressed” with Langford.

Unlike fellow Democrat Langford, Sweeney said, Republican Atlantic County Executive Dennis Levinson called him repeatedly to challenge and debate elements of the Tourism District legislation as it advanced. Langford never called, Sweeney said.

Langford could not be reached Friday evening.

Sweeney disagreed with Langford’s assertion that the Tourism District legislation ratified the resort’s old racial boundaries and was similar to apartheid, and said changes Langford suggested to Burzichelli made it into the final legislation.

“To go in that direction is honestly weakness,” Sweeney said of the racial component. “Why would you do that?”

He added that all would benefit from a revived Atlantic City, and while he had not seen the proposed master plan, he said the city needs to start knocking down eyesores and cleaning up Pacific Avenue.

Sweeney was optimistic, saying that the Revel casino and the Hard Rock project will boost the city’s image once the economy turns around. He said the city continually needs to offer new product, comparing it to suburban shopping malls that renovate every 15 years or so.

Three priorities this year

Legislatively, Sweeney said that his top three priorities this year will be passing gay marriage, adding shared services and raising the minimum wage.

On gay marriage, Sweeney said he now has the votes in the Senate to pass it. Under his leadership, a similar bill died in January 2010 by a 14-20 vote, with Sweeney one of three abstentions.

Sweeney said “marriage equality” is a civil rights issue, but he acknowledged he does not think Gov. Chris Christie will sign the bill. Christie has said he believes marriage is meant to be between a man and a woman.

“We’re not asking him to change his belief at all,” Sweeney said. “We’re just asking him to allow people that love each other, that live in the state, to have the rights that we have — no different.”

Sweeney also said he wants to lift the minimum wage to $8.50 an hour and index it to the federal Consumer Price Index, so that it regularly rises and avoids the “sticker shock” of periodic adjustments. “For once I’d like to do something and fix it for good,” he said.

New Jersey is one of 23 states and two territories in which the minimum wage equals the federal $7.25 an hour. Eighteen states pay more than that, led by Washington state, at $9.04 an hour, with the highest minimum wage rate in the country.

Sweeney also touted a proposal to force municipalities to share services, by having the state Local Unit Alignment, Reorganization, and Consolidation Commission review the costs and benefits of shared services and consolidation. Voters would be required to vote on shared service proposals, and, if they defeat it, then state aid could be reduced by the amount of estimated savings.

“We’ve tried the carrot on numerous occasions, now we gotta go with the stick, because they won’t do any other way,” Sweeney said.

The bill would also suspend the civil service system during the 12 months an agreement is being implemented, and employees who lose their job for efficiency would not be entitled to terminal leave payments.

Sweeney anticipates some resistance, but said, “The refusal to change the way we do government in New Jersey is mind-boggling.”

Sweeney said Christie wanted to eliminate civil service altogether, something he opposed because of the potential for corruption. Sweeney said, “I don’t want my public employees having to cut my lawn, or you know, or clean up, or you know, come over on the weekend and paint my bedrooms and do stuff like that.”

Sweeney was critical of Galloway Township Chief Financial Officer Marilyn Dolcy, following Press reports that she was receiving comp time for working through lunch. “That’s the stuff that blows your mind, though, really, doesn’t it?”