Post by Blitz on Apr 28, 2024 5:52:04 GMT -5
Facing headwinds, Mets owner launches new casino strategy
Steve Cohen is beginning a multimillion-dollar offensive as a key lawmaker cools to his Citi Field gaming proposal.
Steve Cohen needs a state bill handing over city parkland, for which the parking lot surrounding Citi Field qualifies. | paul.hadsall via flickr
By SALLY GOLDENBERG - 04/27/2024
www.politico.com/news/2024/04/27/mets-casino-new-york-00154725
NEW YORK — The owner of the New York Mets wants to expand his footprint in the Empire State with a casino at Citi Field. A left-flank lawmaker is standing in his way.
Now Steve Cohen, who became a billionaire managing hedge funds before buying the baseball team, is planning a multimillion-dollar offensive to save his increasingly elusive dream and grow his presence, power and wealth in the nation’s largest city. and He is considering ways to circumvent the state senator in the process.
Cohen’s team of well-connected consultants and lobbyists have launched a campaign to win over the Queens constituents of state Sen. Jessica Ramos — a final effort to build support after failing to appeal to the senator, whose district represents the proposed gaming facility.
The team’s outreach is beginning in the neighborhoods of Corona, East Elmhurst and Jackson Heights — before plans to target sports fans across the borough, according to details from Karl Rickett, a spokesperson for Cohen’s project pitch.
The nine-month effort, which is already underway, includes mailers and multilingual ads on Facebook and Instagram. None of the outreach pieces shared with POLITICO mention Ramos, but the intent is clear: to create excitement about the project that Cohen’s team can tap into if the Democratic senator opts not to support it.
“We deserve better than 50 acres of asphalt!” reads an online petition, which describes the proposal from Cohen and Hard Rock Entertainment as “a vision to transform the asphalt parking lots around Citi Field into a revolutionary sports and entertainment park.”
To that end, one of the digital pieces illustrates a swath of concrete with Citi Field in the distance, overlaid with the all-caps message: “LET’S TURN A PARKING LOT INTO A PARK.”
What is mostly left unmentioned is the casino that serves as the anchor piece of Cohen’s vision.
Ramos has said that by next month she will announce her decision.
The outspoken politician came into her own power skeptical of much of what Cohen represents. The daughter of Colombian immigrants who maintains close union ties, Ramos zeroes in on immigration and labor issues. In public statements and constituent emails, her references to Cohen’s vast fortune sound a distrustful note.
She also has long been at odds with several of the Queens-based advisers Cohen has hired for the project. In fact, Ramos has been known to do public battle with like-minded Democrats, once sparring on social media with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez over what she perceived as the congress member’s inadequate attention to constituent issues.
Cohen needs a state bill handing over city parkland, for which the parking lot surrounding Citi Field qualifies. And legislative bodies in New York typically defer on land use decisions to the member who represents the area in question — which makes Ramos so vital.
But Cohen is already considering ways to work around Ramos if she ends up opposing the bill, according to three people familiar with the strategy who spoke on the condition of anonymity as conversations are continuing.
The move would entail persuading the state Senate to approve the bill without her, particularly through outreach to Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and possibly Bronx state Sen. Nathalia Fernandez, who is being courted to give a similar approval to a Bally’s casino proposal in the Bronx.
“For two years, we’ve worked closely with the community and our local elected officials, including Senator Ramos, as we’ve developed a vision for Metropolitan Park, and we will continue to do so,” Ricket said in a statement to POLITICO. “If she ultimately chooses not to introduce legislation in this session, we have both time and multiple pathways to get this done.”
Rickett added about the project: “The more people learn about Metropolitan Park, the more they support it, which is why we will continue to communicate our shared vision and the economic impact it will have on our neighbors.”
Ramos, who has voiced frustration with Cohen’s tactics throughout the process, remained noncommittal in a statement.
“I haven’t heard from Mr. Cohen’s team since I released the results of my own poll,” she said. “I’ll say that the space to focus on the budget was much appreciated. It is also worth reiterating that Mr. Cohen has now made his pitch and I’m much more interested in hearing the feedback from my neighbors.”
Cohen’s is one of about a dozen downstate projects competing for three gaming licenses that a state panel plans to dole out next year, following a lengthy public approval process.
A fight for Queens
Initially considered a promising prospect, Cohen’s vision has become mired in consultant infighting and strained relations with Ramos that are spilling into public view.
For starters, the army of well-paid lobbyists and strategists Cohen and Hard Rock hired for their joint bid has been beset by accusations of backstabbing, squabbles over salaries that were published in a New York Magazine article last year and power struggles, according to four people involved or familiar with the bid who were granted anonymity to freely discuss closed-door negotiations.
Ramos, who at some points was open to supporting the proposal, was particularly upset by what she perceived as Cohen’s team failing to keep her apprised of relevant information, according to the four people. For instance, she felt blindsided by the introduction of Assembly Member Jeffrion Aubrey’s parkland alienation bill to authorize the project and was unaware City Council Member Francisco Moya — one of her political adversaries — was recently planning to announce his support.
Ramos was also taken aback when Cohen’s team announced a community benefits package just as she was holding her own town hall on the casino bid, the people said.
Cohen’s team argues it has worked closely with Ramos, hosting community workshops she attended and offering $1 billion in community benefits if the casino gets built — all while successfully winning the backing of other Queens politicians.
In an effort to repair the relationship, Cohen, Ramos, the CEO of Hard Rock and their staffers had lunch in Jackson Heights in January, during which Ramos reviewed the gleaming renderings of the proposed multi-use facility.
Nevertheless, Ramos remains skeptical — recently reaching out to her constituents with news of a poll she helped craft about the casino project and soliciting their feedback in a blast email on April 1. The $27,500 survey, first reported by the news site THE CITY, was funded by a donor Ramos declined to name and concluded the proposal lacks community support.
Ramos acknowledged to POLITICO she worked on the questions for the poll, but declined to say who funded it.
The poll was conducted by Slingshot Strategies, who counts as past and present clients two other casino bidders — Resorts World and Bally’s — as well as Metropolitan Public Strategies, a firm working on those two bids.
“As you may have heard, Billionaire Mets owner Steve Cohen is partnering with Hard Rock Cafe to propose Metropolitan Park, a project that would be built in the current Citi Field parking lot,” Ramos wrote in the April 1 email.
And it added this message: “A new poll published today suggests that most people do not want a casino in their neighborhood.”
Jeff Coltin contributed to this report.
Steve Cohen is beginning a multimillion-dollar offensive as a key lawmaker cools to his Citi Field gaming proposal.
Steve Cohen needs a state bill handing over city parkland, for which the parking lot surrounding Citi Field qualifies. | paul.hadsall via flickr
By SALLY GOLDENBERG - 04/27/2024
www.politico.com/news/2024/04/27/mets-casino-new-york-00154725
NEW YORK — The owner of the New York Mets wants to expand his footprint in the Empire State with a casino at Citi Field. A left-flank lawmaker is standing in his way.
Now Steve Cohen, who became a billionaire managing hedge funds before buying the baseball team, is planning a multimillion-dollar offensive to save his increasingly elusive dream and grow his presence, power and wealth in the nation’s largest city. and He is considering ways to circumvent the state senator in the process.
Cohen’s team of well-connected consultants and lobbyists have launched a campaign to win over the Queens constituents of state Sen. Jessica Ramos — a final effort to build support after failing to appeal to the senator, whose district represents the proposed gaming facility.
The team’s outreach is beginning in the neighborhoods of Corona, East Elmhurst and Jackson Heights — before plans to target sports fans across the borough, according to details from Karl Rickett, a spokesperson for Cohen’s project pitch.
The nine-month effort, which is already underway, includes mailers and multilingual ads on Facebook and Instagram. None of the outreach pieces shared with POLITICO mention Ramos, but the intent is clear: to create excitement about the project that Cohen’s team can tap into if the Democratic senator opts not to support it.
“We deserve better than 50 acres of asphalt!” reads an online petition, which describes the proposal from Cohen and Hard Rock Entertainment as “a vision to transform the asphalt parking lots around Citi Field into a revolutionary sports and entertainment park.”
To that end, one of the digital pieces illustrates a swath of concrete with Citi Field in the distance, overlaid with the all-caps message: “LET’S TURN A PARKING LOT INTO A PARK.”
What is mostly left unmentioned is the casino that serves as the anchor piece of Cohen’s vision.
Ramos has said that by next month she will announce her decision.
The outspoken politician came into her own power skeptical of much of what Cohen represents. The daughter of Colombian immigrants who maintains close union ties, Ramos zeroes in on immigration and labor issues. In public statements and constituent emails, her references to Cohen’s vast fortune sound a distrustful note.
She also has long been at odds with several of the Queens-based advisers Cohen has hired for the project. In fact, Ramos has been known to do public battle with like-minded Democrats, once sparring on social media with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez over what she perceived as the congress member’s inadequate attention to constituent issues.
Cohen needs a state bill handing over city parkland, for which the parking lot surrounding Citi Field qualifies. And legislative bodies in New York typically defer on land use decisions to the member who represents the area in question — which makes Ramos so vital.
But Cohen is already considering ways to work around Ramos if she ends up opposing the bill, according to three people familiar with the strategy who spoke on the condition of anonymity as conversations are continuing.
The move would entail persuading the state Senate to approve the bill without her, particularly through outreach to Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and possibly Bronx state Sen. Nathalia Fernandez, who is being courted to give a similar approval to a Bally’s casino proposal in the Bronx.
“For two years, we’ve worked closely with the community and our local elected officials, including Senator Ramos, as we’ve developed a vision for Metropolitan Park, and we will continue to do so,” Ricket said in a statement to POLITICO. “If she ultimately chooses not to introduce legislation in this session, we have both time and multiple pathways to get this done.”
Rickett added about the project: “The more people learn about Metropolitan Park, the more they support it, which is why we will continue to communicate our shared vision and the economic impact it will have on our neighbors.”
Ramos, who has voiced frustration with Cohen’s tactics throughout the process, remained noncommittal in a statement.
“I haven’t heard from Mr. Cohen’s team since I released the results of my own poll,” she said. “I’ll say that the space to focus on the budget was much appreciated. It is also worth reiterating that Mr. Cohen has now made his pitch and I’m much more interested in hearing the feedback from my neighbors.”
Cohen’s is one of about a dozen downstate projects competing for three gaming licenses that a state panel plans to dole out next year, following a lengthy public approval process.
A fight for Queens
Initially considered a promising prospect, Cohen’s vision has become mired in consultant infighting and strained relations with Ramos that are spilling into public view.
For starters, the army of well-paid lobbyists and strategists Cohen and Hard Rock hired for their joint bid has been beset by accusations of backstabbing, squabbles over salaries that were published in a New York Magazine article last year and power struggles, according to four people involved or familiar with the bid who were granted anonymity to freely discuss closed-door negotiations.
Ramos, who at some points was open to supporting the proposal, was particularly upset by what she perceived as Cohen’s team failing to keep her apprised of relevant information, according to the four people. For instance, she felt blindsided by the introduction of Assembly Member Jeffrion Aubrey’s parkland alienation bill to authorize the project and was unaware City Council Member Francisco Moya — one of her political adversaries — was recently planning to announce his support.
Ramos was also taken aback when Cohen’s team announced a community benefits package just as she was holding her own town hall on the casino bid, the people said.
Cohen’s team argues it has worked closely with Ramos, hosting community workshops she attended and offering $1 billion in community benefits if the casino gets built — all while successfully winning the backing of other Queens politicians.
In an effort to repair the relationship, Cohen, Ramos, the CEO of Hard Rock and their staffers had lunch in Jackson Heights in January, during which Ramos reviewed the gleaming renderings of the proposed multi-use facility.
Nevertheless, Ramos remains skeptical — recently reaching out to her constituents with news of a poll she helped craft about the casino project and soliciting their feedback in a blast email on April 1. The $27,500 survey, first reported by the news site THE CITY, was funded by a donor Ramos declined to name and concluded the proposal lacks community support.
Ramos acknowledged to POLITICO she worked on the questions for the poll, but declined to say who funded it.
The poll was conducted by Slingshot Strategies, who counts as past and present clients two other casino bidders — Resorts World and Bally’s — as well as Metropolitan Public Strategies, a firm working on those two bids.
“As you may have heard, Billionaire Mets owner Steve Cohen is partnering with Hard Rock Cafe to propose Metropolitan Park, a project that would be built in the current Citi Field parking lot,” Ramos wrote in the April 1 email.
And it added this message: “A new poll published today suggests that most people do not want a casino in their neighborhood.”
Jeff Coltin contributed to this report.