The state Senate early this month unanimously confirmed the appointment of Mark D. Gearan as chairman of the state Gaming Commission, which regulates all aspects of gaming and gambling activity in the state, including the development of casinos in Upstate New York.
Gearan is the president of Hobart and Williams Smith Colleges in Geneva, a position he has served for the past 15 years. Prior to that, he led the Peace Corps and served as assistant to the president, director of communications and deputy chief of staff to President Bill Clinton.
The commission met March 12 to undertake several important items, including the appointment of members for the Gaming Facility Location Board and the adoption of equine drug rules to bring uniformity to the horse racing industry.
Gearan joins members John A. Crotty, John J. Poklemba, Barry Sample and Todd R. Snyder to round out Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s five appointments to the Gaming Commission.
The commission’s regulatory role includes oversight of all horse racing and pari-mutuel wagering, class III Indian gaming, video lottery terminal facilities at race tracks, the state lottery, charitable gaming and upcoming commercial gaming.
“I am pleased to welcome Mark Gearan, a proven leader with years of management experience in the public and private sectors, to serve as Chair of the Gaming Commission,” Cuomo said. “Casino gaming holds the potential to create thousands of new jobs in Upstate New York, while providing millions of dollars to schools and local governments statewide. Mark’s decades of public service and great work leading Hobart and William Smith Colleges will be of tremendous value in this new role , and I thank him for taking the time to serve on the Gaming Commission.”
“I am honored to take on this important role that will help shepherd much-needed economic development throughout New York State,” said Gearan. “My colleagues and I have a great deal of work to do and I am eager to get started.”
Gearan is also an appointee of the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Commission on Political Reform, which focuses on policy recommendations on electoral system reform, congressional reform and encouragement of greater public service. He is a former member of the White House Council for Community Solutions, a group of cross-sector leaders appointed by President Barack Obama to recommend collaborative solutions to increase civic engagement. As the chair of the Talloires Network Steering Committee, an international association of more than 200 institutions on six continents committed to strengthening the civic roles and social responsibilities of higher education, he has fostered a global culture of service.
A native of Gardner, Mass., he earned his B.A. in government cum laude at Harvard University and his law degree at Georgetown University. He is the recipient of 12 honorary degrees.
Meanwhile, three members of the panel that will select where new private casinos will be built in New York state — a possibility being Saratoga Springs — are in place.
The state Gaming Commission announced in February that business expert and policy advisor Paul Francis, Hofstra University President Stuart Rabinowitz and former New York City Comptroller Bill Thompson join panel responsible for selecting casino locations and operators in upstate New York.
The members receive no compensation other than expenses incurred in carrying out their duties. The commission said they will commence work right away and expect to issue the Request for Applications in March.
An outside consultant to provide the members with analysis of the gaming industry and assist with the comprehensive review and evaluation of the applications will be selected in the very near future.
“These individuals have the expertise, objectivity and knowledge of New York state to evaluate the applications to operate destination resort casinos,” said Gearan, chairman of the committee.
An outside consultant to provide the Gaming Facility Location Board members with analysis of the gaming industry and assist with the comprehensive review and evaluation of the applications will be selected in the very near future.
Gearan said the timeline is:
• Request for Applications issued in March.
• Bids due in June.
• Reviewing and evaluation of submissions in August.
• Commences licensing review of applicants in early fall, followed by formal
announcement of the casino operators.
Francis is founder and managing partner of Cedar Street Group LLC and a business executive with more than 25 years of private sector experience and has served as a senior policy advisor and appointee under three consecutive governors. He currently serves as a distinguished senior fellow of the Guarini Center on Environmental and Land Use Law at NYU Law School.
Rabinowitz is the eighth president of Hofstra University. Prior to his appointment, he served as dean of the Hofstra University School of Law. He joined the faculty of the school in 1972.
Rabinowitz has held positions with a number of government and community organizations, including the Judicial Advisory Council of the State of New York Unified Court System, County of Nassau. He currently serves as a member of the board of directors for the Long Island Association and as co-vice chairman of the Long Island Regional Economic Development Council.
Thompson is chief administrative officer and senior managing director at Siebert Brandford Shank & Co. LLC. He was Comptroller for the City of New York from January 2002 to December 2009, where he was custodian and investment advisor to the $100 billion-plus New York City Pension Funds. He also worked with leaders of the financial services industry to reform the operations of the New York Stock Exchange and spearheaded the city’s innovative Banking Development District program.
The board’s primary duty is to select not more than four gaming facility license applicants through a competitive process to be located in the Catskills/Hudson Valley Region, the Eastern Southern Tier and the Capital Region.
Gearan said in particular, the board will work with the Gaming Commission to develop the application form; determine a gaming facility license fee; develop the criteria to assess which applications provide the highest and best value to the state, zone and region; determine the sources and total amount of an applicant’s proposed capitalization to develop, construct, maintain and operate a proposed gaming facility; and issue detailed findings of facts and conclusions demonstrating the reasons supporting its decisions to select applicants.
“The requirements for appointment to the Gaming Facility Location Board are intentionally strict in order to ensure that only the best individuals are selected and that integrity is paramount throughout the entire siting process,” said Gearan. “These individuals meet or exceed the criteria set forth in the law, and we look forward to assisting them as they begin their important work.”
More information about the process of siting casinos in New York can be found at www.gaming.ny.gov.