Christie also summarized findings of special commission, which concluded N.J. racetracks should be sold, or closed
"I don’t have the money to subsidize failure," he said, summarizing the findings of a special commission which has concluded the state’s long financial support of horse racing has had its day. It’s a river of red ink and can’t be saved.
A helicopter ride later, he stood on the boardwalk in Atlantic City and pledged to take over the faltering casino district and turn the city into "Las Vegas East." Flanked by the mayor and city council he side-stepped the part of the commission findings that called Atlantic City corrupt and portrayed it as incredibly inept. He said the changes his commission proposes are needed by this time next summer.
"Delay will lead to demise," the governor said.
The day had the feel of a major public relations blitz, aimed at stoking support for one of the boldest moves to come out of the statehouse in years. In some parts of the political landscape it seemed to be working.
"We need as much help as we can get," Atlantic City Mayor Lorenzo Langford said after the governor’s press conference. "There’s some truth" to accounts by the commission of fiscal mismanagement at the municipal level. "My challenge is to work on a solution."
As elements of the proposals began coming into clearer focus, there were signs New Jersey’s age-old rivalry between the north and south might again rear its head.
Sen. Jeff Van Drew (D-Cape May) supported the plan.
"The whole idea behind this was to revitalize an area that has a minimum or income earning opportunities for its residents," he said. "There aren’t the plethora of opportunities in South Jersey that there are in North Jersey."
Northern legislators were less enthused.
Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver (D-Essex) said while it was important to make sure Atlantic City remained strong, she called the Meadowlands complex essential to New Jersey’s economy.
"We must find ways to embrace the potential of both," she said.
Sen. Raymond Lesniak (D-Union) said a state takeover of the casino district would do nothing to infuse Atlantic City with the resources needed, while allowing Las Vegas, New York, Pennsylvania and Delaware to gain competitive advantage.
The governor said the issues could not be split along a north-south divide. "We cannot have parochial geographic lines," Christie said. "If people in North Jersey don’t think double-digit unemployment in South Jersey affects New Jersey, they’re wrong."
He also criticized his critics.
"Atlantic City is dying. The question is are we going to allow the same doctors who put the patient in this condition to treat the patient?" asked the governor. "If anybody’s got a better idea, come forward with it ... It’s not going to fix itself."
The plan came out of a special governor’s commission headed by Jon F. Hanson, the former chairman of the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, which spelled out a game change that will reverberate across the state in the coming months:
• New Jersey would seek to take over the casino and entertainment district in Atlantic City, putting those area under the control of a state authority.
• The shutdown of operations at the Meadowlands Racetrack and privatizing the operations of the sports authority itself, including the sale or lease of the Izod Center and Monmouth Park racetrack.
• Completing or tearing down the Xanadu entertainment and retail complex in the Meadowlands.
• Integrating the marketing of the state’s major entertainment venues—including the Izod Center, the PNC Arts Center, the Prudential Center, Rutgers Stadium and the Atlantic City Boardwalk and Convention Center.
Christie said Atlantic City had "squandered hundreds of millions of dollars in casino revenue" it has gotten over the years, riding the crest of the gaming wave when the state had a monopoly.
"We don’t have a monopoly anymore. The wave is not there anymore," he said.
Mayor Langford, a former dealer and pit boss at several boardwalk casinos, said he was not consulted on the report and "in all candor, it could’ve been handled a little better," but the mayor acknowledged the city is perceived as unsafe and unclean and "it’s a perception that we have to work hard to change."
He rejected suggestions that the core of his city was being taken over by the state. He described it instead as a partnership and collaboration. "We’re all in this together," Langford insisted. "We may have all gotten to the point where we are having arrived in different boats, but make no mistake about it, we’re all in the same boat now. And unless and until we all put our oars in the water and row simultaneously in the same direction, that boat is not going to be successful."
In endorsing the proposals contained in the Hanson report, Christie said he plans to sign an executive order extending the term of the commission, which will be responsible for negotiating the terms of the proposals.
"We are in difficult times and we have to turn this state around," he said.
By Josh Margolin and Ted Sherman/The Star-Ledger
Staff writers Claire Heininger, Rohan Mascarenhas, Matt Friedman and MaryAnn Spoto contributed to this report.
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