Any discussion of a potential casino in Rochester should not only involve local officials and stakeholders in the City of Rochester and Monroe County – it should also involve those in the region, including Ontario County and Finger Lakes Gaming & Racetrack in my district, as well as Seneca County and del Lago, and Genesee County and Batavia Downs.

A Seneca Nation casino could put these businesses at severe risk and jeopardize local jobs, tax revenues and our economy, including the farmers and small businesses that work with them, and the critical infrastructure projects and other investments they make possible in our communities.

We should be mindful that Ontario County would be a very different community without Finger Lakes Gaming & Racetrack.

Regional stakeholders deserve to be heard in this process and I urge the Governor’s office to give taxpayers full transparency.