Speculation about a push for a potential casino in Rochester city

As state lawmakers wrapped up most of their work for the current legislative session over the weekend, one of the pieces of unfinished business has to do with a bill that would allow the governor’s office to negotiate a new gaming compact with the Senecas.

The state Senate approved moving forward, but local Democratic member Jeremy Cooney was the only “no” vote.

He said he just doesn’t have enough details yet.

“We've had this conversation as a community over the last several years,” Cooney said, “and I just didn't feel comfortable moving forward or authorizing any sort of agreement without speaking directly with the communities that I represent, or giving them an opportunity to have public input.”

Cooney said while he has his feelings about gaming and gambling, it’s not a decision he can make alone.

“I certainly want to involve the community itself as well as our partners in local government,” he said.

Assembly member Harry Bronson, a Rochester-area Democrat, is not a fan of gambling as an economic driver.

“I think putting a casino in downtown Rochester should be a nonstarter,” Bronson said. “Usually casinos are billed as economic development, and certainly having jobs is a positive aspect, but there’s much better economic development programs that we should be using for residents of the city of Rochester.”

Bronson added: “We certainly want the state to enter into compacts with tribal nations, in this case, the Senecas, but that being said, we want to make sure those compacts are fair for our residents.”

Last week, the Seneca Nation announced ‘an agreement in principle’ over a new 20-year casino gaming compact, but their statement did not detail plans for gaming in Rochester. The State Assembly is expected to consider the bill about the gaming compact later this month.