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MLB
Steve Cohen’s political lobbying efforts aren’t doing much better than his baseball team.
Cohen’s plans to build a casino in the parking lot of the New York Mets’ Citi Field were dealt a significant blow Tuesday, when New York State Senator Jessica Ramos said she will not introduce legislation needed to advance the project, which is in her district. Cohen’s group has in turn said it will now try to work around her, an effort that Ramos positioned as unlikely to succeed.
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“Seventy-five percent of my constituents have expressed that they do not wish to have a casino in our backyard,” Ramos said in a news conference Tuesday. “I would be very surprised, and, frankly, offended if someone would try to go around me and what the people in my district wish. We, I believe, are being very clear about not wanting a casino near our homes, and I don’t think anyone should be able to override that.”
To build what he wants, Cohen needs Ramos to put forth legislation redesignating parking lots and other areas around Citi Field from parkland to commercial use. Many baseball owners want to develop the land around their ballpark, creating additional revenue streams through restaurants and housing. But Cohen’s pursuing something much more grandiose than just another so-called “ballpark village.” Cohen and the casino operator Hard Rock are partners in one of the 11 major groups that are vying for three open gaming licenses in downstate New York. A fortune awaits the winners of those three gaming license bids, because New York City, the largest metropolitan area in the country, doesn’t have any full-service casinos.
(The New York Yankees aren’t sitting idly by. Legends, a sports and entertainment company that was co-founded by the Yankees, is trying to bring a casino to Coney Island.)
Even with Ramos’ support, then, Cohen’s project, called Metropolitan Park, ultimately might not win a license and move forward. But it dies on the vine unless Cohen gains the right to develop the parking lots, and that can only happen through the legislature.
Citi Field falls into Ramos’ district, which includes the Queens neighborhoods of Corona and Jackson Heights, all situated along the subway line that carries fans to Citi Field. Ramos, 38 years old and the chair of the New York state senate’s labor committee, has become a foil for the 67-year-old hedgefund titan Cohen, whom Ramos estimated Tuesday to be worth $18 billion.
The legislative session runs through June, and Cohen’s group intends to keep trying.
“While we respect Senator Ramos’s point of view, the state never intended any one person to have the ability to single-handedly stop or approve a gaming project,” said Karl Rickett, a spokesperson for Cohen’s group, in a statement. “As Metropolitan Park enjoys overwhelming support from elected officials, unions, and the local community we are confident that we have the best project in the best location.
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“We have over a year and multiple pathways to secure the required approvals. Our team remains committed to bringing Metropolitan Park to life, with gaming as the only viable economic engine to make the 23,000 jobs, $8 billion investment and substantial community benefits possible.”
Cohen could try to find another state senator to introduce a bill that would “alienate” the land, as the process is technically called. But typically, state senators have not overruled the senator who presides over a given district in matters like these.
“I don’t see that happening,” Ramos said. “I would think that the majority leader would be very wary of creating such a precedent in our house.”
Ramos on Tuesday introduced an alternative bill that allows for Cohen to build park land, but does not include a casino.
Overall, the state senator has taken umbrage with the way Cohen and his group have tried to push their project along.
“I have let them know when I’ve been dismayed at a strategy that they’ve taken on: for example, the press conference that they held half an hour before my last town hall,” Ramos said. “I have been very clear with them every step of the way about how I’ve received their advocacy.”
While noting that she kept an open door and an open mind throughout the process, she flagged what she called “unforced errors” from the Cohen camp, and voiced her frustration for the number of lobbyists and experts on Cohen’s payroll.
“I’ve been vocal about my resentment for just how many lobbyists and experts they’ve hired,” Ramos said. “It became a hindrance at one point early on, for me to be able to have a conversation with experts, because it was hard to find someone who wasn’t on their payroll.”
Asked if her relationship with Cohen was beyond repair, Ramos said “at no point have conversations broken down,” and that she maintains an open-door policy.
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Resolution isn’t exactly in sight. The licensing process has already had delays. In March, the state’s gaming commission said licenses wouldn’t be awarded until late 2025. Bid submissions are not scheduled until next year either.
Ramos didn’t give much daylight to the possibility she would change her mind, however.
“Casinos would extract wealth instead of (helping) us create the generational wealth that the vast majority of immigrant and African American families in the surrounding neighborhoods are clamoring for,” Ramos said.
(Top photo of Steve Cohen: Jim McIsaac / Getty Images)

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Evan Drellich is a senior writer for The Athletic, covering baseball. He’s the author of the book Winning Fixes Everything: How Baseball’s Brightest Minds Created Sports’ Biggest Mess. Follow Evan on Twitter @EvanDrellich

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