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Senator Fumo,

Ready for another diatrible about your casino antics in
Harrisburg?

I am toatally disgusted by your ammendments to SB862 & the high-
handed way in which you slyly got your senate cronies to back
you in your sell-out of the people of Philadelphia's river wards.

If these give-away provisions take hold & the Foxwoods menace
becomes a reality, you will have destroyed the quality of life
of thousands of people who have put you and kept you in office
for 29 years! How can you live with yourself?

Rectify your grevious errors now-if you can!

Mary O. Reinhart
Pennsport

CC: Gov. Rendell
Rep. Lederer(&Mike O'Brien)Thank you for opposition to
w/SB862
Councilman Dicicco

Dear Senator Fumo:
You have announced your intention to amend SB 862 to
restore Philadelphia's zoning rights. Please make your new
version of the bill available for public review immediately.

To my elected officials:

The strength of Phila. is that it is a city of the people and
of neighborhoods, not corporations.

I travel constantly for my work around the US and the World.
Phila. is one of the few cities in the US that is constantly
renewing itself and rebuilding, not just spreading out and
letting the city die. This is however the work of small
independnat business and private redevelopers, not large
corporations. Where ever I go in America and I see the
corporations doing the work I see failed projects.

I have traveled the world also and where I have gone that has
large Casino developement (with the exception perhaps of Monte
Carlo) what I see is extreme proverty and depression surronding
the Casinos. Look at Atlantic City, look at Macau in China, you
will see the same thing and for a suggestion of the future look
at the view provided in the moive "Back to the Future" where
the villian has establised a gambling empire.

Builing facilites that are based on a human weakness and which
will feed an addiction and create false dreams for people and
the lure of easy money drags down a society.

Such things are athenama to what our great City has always been
about.

DO LOT ALLOW CASINOS TO BE BUILT IN PHILLY. IF THEY ARE BUILT
THEN THE CITY MUST HAVE TOTAL CONTROLL TO PREVENT THE TYPE OF
BLLIGHT THAT ACCOMPANIES ALL SUCH DEVELOPEMENT!!

I would rather that opium dens and crack house be built (and of
course vigerously taxed) than casinos.

The ravages of drug addtion is obvious, the ravages of gambling
addition are just as devestating but not so obvious.

The City must retain full control to be able to mitigate this
vile and insideous encroachment on our humanity.

To my elected officials:

Please vote NO on SB862! Preserve the family atmosphere that
is already threatened in Philadelphia! I am working to make
this city a wonderful place to live and work I hope you are
too! Don't sell out to Greed! Preserve decency and quality of
life for all people in Philadelphia.
a committed citizen and voter,
Nancy Messner and family

To my elected officials:



I have lived in the area for 49yrs. I was born and raised in
the 2nd and Ritner area and moved to this home on Sigel Street
in 1977. At that time as a young couple expecting our first
child, this was our little corner of the world. Later, after
my marriage broke up, I became the single mother of 2 preteen
boys and did everything I could to keep this roof over our
heads, for both the love of the area and the independence of
having our own place afforded. It became a home of duct tape,
caulk and paint to keep it together and looking nice. Thank
God, after returning to school and gaining a decent job, I
spent the last 6 yrs gutting my little home, one room at a time
to make it the gem I knew it could always be. And why not.
The neighborhood is safe, close knit and confortable. I feel
safe here, and not afraid to be alone now that the boys are
grown. Not many neighborhoods can claim such peacfulness from
its residents. Now with the inclusion of Casino Gambling right
in my backyard, I feel that everything I worked for is going to
be distroyed in a blink of an eye, due to Mr Fumo's bill. The
overcrowding of our streets, the water drainage problems with
our basements, the clentile the casino's will bring to our
neighborhood are just the beginning of the distruction to the
beautiful, peaceful, family neighborhood I spent so many years
trying to keep as my own. This is the thanks I get from my
elected officials for staying in my neighborhood and taking
pride in my area? Please do not give the casino's card blanche
to do what ever they want to our neighborhood. We are good,
hard working, family people. We love our neighborhood. We
take pride in our homes and familis. Don't let all that be a
thing of the past. SAVE US PLEASE!! VOTE NO!!

To my elected officials:



I am appalled that you could vote for legislation that strips the
city of PHiladelphia of its rights to regulate casinos built
inside of the city. The casinos will obviously draw resources
from the city in the form of city services and cost the city
accordingly (police, water and sewer,e tc), not to mention
changeing the enviornment we live in. Unless you take steps to
remedy this legislation I will vote against you in any election
that you are involved in.

To my elected officials:



To my elected officials:
I am stunned that the PA Senate would unanimously pass the SB 862
stripping Philadelphia of zoning controls of casinos. I can not
imagine what kind of power the gaming industry has to silence the
entire PA Senate and convince them to sit on their hands and deny
their obligations to the people of Pennsylvania. I can only
imagine the worst kind of collusion which will some day come to
light. I hope that day of reckoning comes soon.

To my elected officials: I will not be voting for ANY of you.
My disgust for the way the casino's have been handled will be
acted on in November at the polls

To my elected officials:

I do not understand the reasoning behind not allowing residents
to voice legitimate issues concerning gambling in our
neighborhoods. There is a reason that there has been opposition
to gambling and the problems that it has created in other
cities. The move to place casinos in a thriving residential
neighborhood is unprecedented in this region. We can look to
the areas surrounding Atlantic City's boardwalk to legitimize
our fears.... prostitution and crime will be the norm in an area
that's already seen a marked increase in both serious and petty
crimes- without the extra 4-5 million people that a casino will
bring.
What explanation can you give me to justify this disregard of
our civil rights? You have sold us out more blatant even than
voting to allow yourselves a stake in the casinoes. Shame on
you all.
Y.Y. Currie

To Senator Fumo:
I am writing to protest your amendment to SB 862 which strips
Philadelphia residents of their rights to control any aspect of
casino construction through the use of zoning regulations. These
regulations exist for the protection all Philadelphians and
overriding them for the benefit of specific investors is illegal
and discriminatory. You were not so dismissive of the zoning laws
when you worked with others in your neighborhood to defeat the
construction of a baseball stadium in your area. Why should the
residents of other neighborhoods be denied the protections that
you benefited from?

And why should the casinos be given the right to hook up to our
water and sewer lines without charge? Their presence will place
an enormous burden on our old and crumbling water system and they
should not be getting a free ride. These people will make
millions and do not need or deserve special breaks.

Since the democrats of Philadelphia have abandoned their
constituency in favor of making a quick buck I will not be voting
for any Democrat in any upcoming election.

To my elected officials:
I am counting on you to protect the quality of life in
Philadelphia. My home is two blocks from the Roosevelt
Expressway and within 3800 feet of the proposed site for the
Trump Slots Parlor. Should the worst happen and the sleazy
Donald Trump and associates be moving their operation into my
neighborhood (and next door to the high school where I teach),
our only hope for remotely salvaging some semblance of a decent
life in our neighborhood is to have local zoning control. As you
know, I am an active citizen and consistent voter.

Barbara M Dowdall 13th Ward, 4th Division

To my elected officials:
"Fumo's amendment also takes away residents' right to raise
casino related issues with the City zoning board."

Is this actually true? I guess living near a casino limits my
civil rights. What will I not be able to do next? Protest?
Speak at all about the casinos?

I've objected to the building of the gambling halls prior to
this and I will continue to do so but I want you all to know
that this legislation has convinced me that you are not only
willing to sacrifice my peace and economic well-being so that a
few politically-connected business people can get very rich but
my rights as a citzen as well. That is a whole new level of
contempt for the citizenry of the City. I will not only write
myself but as of now I will urge everyone I know to write, to
object and to protest. I will meet new people with the express
purpose of letting them know what is happening and sharing your
contact information so that they can let you know how they feel
also.

I have always voted Democratic for many reasons but I cannot
overlook how opposed this action is to my interests and the
interests of my City. I will certainly and regretfully not be
voting for Mr. Rendell or any of you. I will speak against it
to everyone who is interested.

Laura Moore

To my elected officials:

How dare you give away our city's visual landscape to the state and casinos!
Sounds like Philadelphia needs to declare itself an independent state in order
to be a democratic society and to find representation for our people, not the
highest pay-for-play corporation.
Hopefully, your constituents, Mr. Fumo, will remember what you've done when you
run for office no matter how much money these rich guys give you.
For those representatives who voted against this giveaway, we thank you.
Are you listening, our so-called representatives?
Thanks.

To my elected officials:

Philadelphia citizens should have the right to participate in
zoning hearings related to casinos and the city should have the
power to regulate the casinos in every capacity to protect
citizens and personal property values. Anyone and any party who
votes otherwise will lose my vote when the time comes.

To my elected officials:

This is an outrage. It reflects no true concern for the citizens
of Philadelphia and it reflects no long term vision for the
state or city. By going forward with this bill to take local
zoning control away from the city you are significantly limiting
Philadelphia's opportunity to be a great city and to do much
more for this state than just generate money through casinos.
You are determining and limiting the potential of Philadelphia.
Philadelphia is at a pivotal point and you and your bill will be
seen historically as near sighted shot and the wound that
brought Philadelphia down. Do not do this. Consider being great
and courageous and doing something visionary for this state and
city. Please act in a way that brings dignity to the people of
this city. Act in a way that restores the less fortunate of our
city and not in a way that preys upon them.

Thank You

To my elected officials:

I find it utterly unacceptable that Philadelphia would be
stripped of its power to regulate casinos within its
boundaries. I understand that that state is salivating over the
prospect of casino revenues, but it is essential that local
residents and government officials retain the right to have
their say on the location of the casino. There would seem to be
no legitimate justification to move this sort of authority to
the state level. Many illegitimate justifications spring to
mind, such as lobbying by casinos or campaign donations, but I
hope that this is not the case. Please do whatever it takes to
retain our rights in this matter.

To my elected officials:

It is terrible what the casinos, with the help of some of our
elected officials are trying to do to the citizens of up and
coming areas of Philadelphia. I live in Fishtown/Kensington and
I know that when/if casinos are allowed in my area, it will
become more congested, more dangerous, just lower quality of
life. All the little things (that makes living here bearable)
could be bulldozed over. We run a small theatre company which
could make a go of it as is, but bring in all the yahoo gamblers-
-do you think they are here to see theatre that makes you think
and feel? Give control to the city to see if and where this
should happen.

To my elected officials:

I am not voting for any official who will not allow me
representation. It's bad enough that native Philadelphians had
no say in the decision to allow gambling here in the first
place. But to strip us of any say in the zoning decisions of
our own neighborhoods is unconscionable.


Deborah McCaffrey

To my elected officials:
I wish I could say I am shocked by this recent move of yours.
But considering the recent pay raise and general "politics as
usual", I am sorry to say that I am not. I came to college
here in 1983, when Philadelphia was in poor shape, and
have stayed on to watch the city blossom, despite scandals
and traumas. Where are we headed now?
I am a home owner in the Northern Liberties section. At a
recent neighbourhood meeting it wassuggested that the
best thing about the casinos was that our property taxes will
go down. Not due to revenue, mind you, but to the
undesirable factor of their being in our neighbourhood.
When I want to improve my dilapidated 160 year old house,
L. and I. wants me to pay to have permits. To do things the
right way. On the "up and up". Guess I should have been
making friends with those Big Game people in Harrisburg.
Could maybe have a working kitchen by now, maybe have
some free parking around town. Oh, silly me, I pay taxes
here, and will do for the rest of my unrepresented life.
Well, the good news in general for Philly is that we won't just
be known for our gun related deaths any more. If I was a
gambling woman, I'd put money we'll be featured on "Cops",
Life on the Casino Strips, Philadelphia.
One of the things I have always loved about this town was
that it was small. I don't like chain stores or shopping malls
or box shops. I lived in Buffalo for a bit, and Canada
showed the US what you could do with a natural water-front,
and still make money. Apparently, we didn't notice. Well,
the chains and boxes are here, and now you are bringing on
the casinos. I wonder if you sleep well at night? Is this
really what you want to pass on as your ultimate legasey?
Did you make your children proud? Will you live in the neon
lights glow?
Sincerely,
Karen P.J.Wainwright

To my elected officials:

Please give Philadelphia control in the process of bringing
Casions and Slot Parlors to the city. This is our home, it is
our taxpayer money that supports the city. We, as citizens,
have the right to a voice in these matters. If you, as an
elected official, do not agree and support us in these issues,
you will not get my support at the polls.

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