One developer has proposed a $4 billion casino on the Jersey City waterfront.
Early data shows that the New Jersey lawmakers and business leaders who are backing a North Jersey casino are not making much headway with the electorate. A group of powerful political and business leaders won a legislative battle to put the North Jersey casino referendum on the November 8 ballot.
Since then, the pro-expansion group have done little to convince the people of New Jersey to vote for the proposed North Jersey expansion. A recent poll by Fairleigh Dickenson University showed that the measure is losing by a big margin, 35% to 57%.
Pro-North Jersey Plans
New Jersey racetrack owner Jeff Gural, who has proposed a $1 billion casino in the Meadowlands, said he does not intend on spend a lot of TV advertisements. Gural said he would seek to reach voters through a social media campaign, but added, “Television ads and all this stuff — I don’t know how important that is anymore.”
Paul Fireman, a billionaire-investor who proposed a $4 billion casino-resort on the Jersey City waterfront, did not return calls about his plans from the Wall Street Journal. If someone is willing to pay $4 billion to build a casino, one assumes that person is prepared to spend millions to convince people to allow such a development.
Amendment of New Jersey Constitution
The referendum would amend the New Jersey constitution to allow casino gambling outside Atlantic City. Two casinos would be built in two separate, still-undisclosed counties in North Jersey. The geographical location only stipulates they cannot be within 72 miles of Atlantic City.
At the moment, two developers have proposed building casinos in the Meadowlands and Jersey City. Only those holding a New Jersey gaming license at the moment have the right-of-first-refusal on applying for licenses. If two developers do not apply for a casino license and present a $1 billion development plan within six months, the application process would be expanded to include any developer.
Public Outreach Campaign Needed
Proponents of the North Jersey casinos admit that a multi-million dollar effort is needed to shape the debate. They have seen the polling data, which vote the “Against” vote as high as 58%. Presumably, a public outreach campaign is going to be launched, once it gets close to the November election. That money might be misspent at the moment, because voters have other matters on their collective mind.
New Jersey Assemblyman Ralph Caputo said that other issues are uppermost in their minds. A proposal to raise state gas taxes in order to fund transportation projects has received a good deal of attention. Also, focus on the upcoming presidential election likely dominates the imagination of those prone to consider politics.
Expect Activity in September and October
Those who have been a part of elections say the polling tends to be inaccurate, at least until September of an election year. That is when political campaigns launch in earnest.
It is the same with network television seasons. In the summer, people prefer to stay outside and focus on enjoying the warm weather months. Families are more concerned in August with getting prepared for another school year.
When things settle in for the fall, the mass of voters are ready to hear the arguments. Mass media campaigns are launched, the election day is starting to approach, and the poll numbers become a more accurate reflection of the final results.
Ralph Caputo Disappointed
Still, Ralph Caputo, a Democrat from Essex, says the lack of attention paid at the moment is disappointing. Caputo told the Wall Street Journal, “I’m very disappointed that it’s not getting the attention that it should.”
“No North Jersey Casino Coalition”
One reason for Caputo’s concern is this present lull in state-level politicking is giving the other side a chance to prepare. The North Jersey casino issue separate New Jersey’s people north-and-south, instead of the usual party-line vote. A political action group of those who want to see Atlantic City maintain its casino monopoly, the No North Jersey Casino Coalition, are gathering money to sway voters the other way.
Debra DiLorenzo, chairwoman of the No North Jersey Casino Coalition and CEO of the Southern New Jersey Chamber of Commerce, said that her side is preparing for a battle with a well-funded opposition.
DiLorenzo said of the money poured into the campaign, “It will be in the millions, but I’m not comfortable saying how many millions. This campaign will be formidable.”
Axiom Communications Hired
Already, the Meadowlands Regional Chamber has hired Axiom Communications to convince voters to side with the North Jersey crowd. Meadowlands Regional Chamber wants to see a casino placed on the grounds of the Met Life Stadium.
Axiom President Ron Simonicci said, “We’ve got to work hard now, so when the voters really start thinking about this in early October, we have to be there with material that’s persuasive.“
