Atlantic City officials, gamblers have mixed reactions on N.J. takeover of the casino district

Christie is scheduled to announce proposal at press conference Wednesday in Bergen, Atlantic counties

Gallery preview ATLANTIC CITY — Atlantic City Councilman Moisse Delgado had a pointed, defiant message for Gov. Chris Christie tonight.

"Not on my watch!"

Delgado, interviewed as he mingled with crowds at a Bangladeshi festival at Sand Castle Stadium, thundered his disapproval of the governor’s sweeping plan to boost Atlantic City by imposing state control over the seaside resort’s casino and entertainment district.

Christie is to announce the proposal — part of a wider initiative to revamp the struggling casino and horse-racing industries — at press conferences Wednesday in Bergen County and Atlantic City.

Delgado, a Democratic at-large councilman, characterized the move as a power grab the city will fight in the courts, if necessary.

"We’re not going to allow it," he said. "We’ll do whatever we need to defend our rights in Atlantic City, to maintain Atlantic City, to be a functioning body as it’s always been. The reins are going to stay in our hands."

It remains unclear if Delgado’s opinion represents the majority of elected officials in the city. Mayor Lorenzo Langford declined to comment, saying he had not seen details of Christie’s initiative and that he hopes to meet with the governor Wednesday.

Efforts to reach other members of the nine-member council tonight were unsuccessful. Delgado said he believes his colleagues share his sentiment.

About the only thing the councilman did like in Christie’s blueprint was a provision to end a longstanding revenue-sharing agreement that splits a percentage of casino earnings between Atlantic City and the state.

The agreement, administered by the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority, has pumped more than $1.5 billion into the city since 1984. Some $300 million more has been spent on housing, transportation and economic development projects elsewhere in the state in the same time period.

Under Christie’s proposal, the state would no longer take a share, leaving millions more for Atlantic City each year.

The governor’s initiative, much of which requires legislative approval, comes as the nation’s second-largest gambling market continues to sag under the weight of a moribund economy and growing competition from gaming halls in surrounding states.

Last year, combined revenue from the city’s 11 casinos fell to $3.9 billion, a 24 percent drop from the $5.2 billion collected in 2006. This year’s numbers have been equally dreary.

Christie, following the recommendations of a commission he established earlier this year, seeks to transform Atlantic City into a more family-friendly destination, capitalizing on the beach and boardwalk and looking to make over blighted stretches that border the casinos. The state would control everything within the district, from police presence to trash collection.

Politicians with a deep roots in the city or neighboring communities greeted the initiative with varying degrees of caution and excitement.

Former state Sen. William Gormley, a Republican who represented Atlantic County for nearly three decades, was among the more enthusiastic supporters, calling the proposal a bold stroke on par with former Gov. Brendan Byrne’s push for casino gambling in the first place more than three decades ago.

"If you look at the history of Atlantic City and the history of the governor’s office, the most important element of the plan is the governor," said Gormley, who retired from the Senate in 2007. "You need that undivided commitment to change. It’s about wielding the power of that office and the bully pulpit of that office."

State Sen. Jim Whelan (D-Atlantic), a former Atlantic City mayor, was more circumspect.

John Munson/The Star-LedgerDan and Jeannie Bonner, walk along the Boardwalk with their daughters Audrey, 2, and Kaley, 3, in Atlantic City.

"The devil’s in the details as to what’s involved with the state taking over," he said, adding he would withhold further comment until looking over the plan in its entirety.

Gamblers and casino employees offered a similarly mixed reaction, with some suggesting the state would only cause more problems.

"I think the government should stay out of it," said Dan Bonner, 43, of Frelinghuysen, as he stood outside Resorts Atlantic City. "This is a private industry. Anything the state government has ever gotten involved in has tanked."

Keith Fullmer, a bartender at the Trump Taj Mahal, said he was eager to see if state officials had "all of their ducks in a row."

"If they can help, it will be wonderful," Fullmer said. "If it doesn’t help, it will be more of a catastrophe than it already is."

By MaryAnn Spoto and Bob Considine/The Star-Ledger

Staff writers Mark Mueller and Claire Heininger contributed to this report.

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