Jennifer Lin has this report from the latest casino hearings:
It got downright nasty at yesterday’s Commerce Department hearing over whether the city has authority to grant the SugarHouse casino project permission to build on submerged lands.
Anti-casino activists, shouting over the boos of laborers with the building trades, were tossed out by police from the auditorium at the Convention Center at a rate of one every 10 minutes.
Construction workers, meanwhile, hissed at State Sen. Vincent Fumo, while drowning out Commerce Director Stephanie Naidoff who vainly shouted, “Quiet please!”
Fumo, who is facing federal charges of misusing state funds, was taunted with jeers of “Allenwood! Allenwood!” and “They’ll love you in Lewisburg!” -- a reference to two federal prisons.
Fumo held his own, at one point telling his supporters in the crowd, “Don’t applaud, it just upsets the animals.”
The business of this raucous session was the matter of SugarHouse gaining from the city the right to build on 11 acres of once-submerged land.
And while Naidoff said she will act on the matter “in the near future,” a ruling in favor of the casino operator will place the matter in court.
City Councilman Frank DiCicco said City Council already has drawn up the legal papers to sue the city in the event it grants so-called “riparian” rights to SugarHouse.
DiCicco called the appeal to the city “a Hail Mary attempt” by SugarHouse. “This will delay this even further,” DiCicco said. “It’ll add another appeal.”
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