Mohawk Valley Nine urge governor to address Vernon Downs relief in special session

The Mohawk Valley Nine, a bipartisan coalition of state legislators representing Herkimer, Madison and Oneida counties, released the following statement in response to the Governor’s plans to convene a special session in Albany:

With a special legislative session on the horizon, the time is now for the Governor to address the outstanding issue of relief for the Vernon Downs racino. Vernon Downs will close this fall if a relief package is not approved based upon warning notices that have already been sent out, and this may be our last chance to act.

Three hundred good jobs are at stake in the Mohawk Valley right now, and every day that goes by without resolution is another day of distress for these workers and their families. The Governor frequently speaks about fighting to protect middle class jobs in upstate New York, so securing relief for Vernon Downs by leveling the playing field to compete with other similar business interests is the perfect opportunity for the Governor and the Legislature to demonstrate this commitment.

We understand there are other priorities the Governor wants to address, but we are respectfully calling upon the Governor to also include the future of Vernon Downs in any package of matters he plans to take up in an extraordinary session.

The Mohawk Valley Nine is comprised of the following legislators: