New Documentary Features 2007 Atlantic City Campaign Friday, Jul 25 2008

   I had the pleasure of meeting Jason Pollock last year.  Mr. Pollock is a rising film director.  He was in Atlantic City to cover the Sixth Ward City Council Campaign of Ytit Chauhan.  Variety Magazine features this documentary:

Moore backs ‘Candidate’
Filmmaker stands behind feature
By DADE HAYES
 
‘The Youngest Candidate’ will screen at Michael Moore’s film fest in Michigan.

Michael Moore’s endorsement makes it more likely that ‘The Youngest Candidate’ will be picked up by a distributor.

The key difference with “The Youngest Candidate” is that it’s about teens
running for elected office, not class president. The film follows four 2007
candidates: one who ran for mayor of Hartford, Conn.; another who ran for city
council in Memphis, Tenn.; a school board candidate in Hampton Township, Pa.;
and a City Council hopeful in Atlantic City, N.J.

Hopefully, more young adults will get both educated on political issues and theory and involved in the process.

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City Council To Become Financing Partner With Revel Entertainment Thursday, Jul 24 2008

   City Council Ordinance-59 would have City Government loan its credit rating to Revel Entertainment for its casino project.  If you click on the link above, you can read the ordinance yourself.

   This degree of partnership between city government and a casino developer is entirely inappropriate.  The role of government is not to undertake business deals.  How is it fair for government to get out of its way and bend rules for a casino developer?  Laws should be simple, fair, and be applied equally to all.  Government is to maintain the rule of law so that people may conduct fair and equable business.  Here is a previous post outlining my position.

   The ordinance was adjourned at last night’s City Council meeting.  It will next be considered at 6 August’s City Council meeting.  Take the time to let City Councilmen know that you do not want them using taxpayers’ good credit to underwrite Revel’s shaky financial capital.

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The Chelsea Already Impressing Guests Saturday, Jul 19 2008

   Even before its official opening, The Chelsea admitted guests.  July 4, our family was enjoying Hilton Casino’s free Beach Boys concert on the beach.  We met the first guest to obtain a room at The Chelsea.  She was ecstatic!

   She shared that many areas in the hotel were not finished.  Despite it being unfinished, she was already thoroughly impressed with the quality of the rooms and staff.  Her picture will be featured in the hotel. 

   Starting with a greeting from Sam, or any of the other bell boys, The Chelsea’s experience blows standard Atlantic City hotels and casino hotels out of the water.  Industry insiders say that only The Water Club will be able to compare to The Chelsea, for those looking for the five-star hotel treatment.

   Hospitality Net writes about The Chelsea:

This summer, the Chelsea ushers in a new era of Atlantic City chic, re-imagining the fabled heyday of “America’s Playground” for the savvy modern traveler. The first non-gaming hotel to grace the Boardwalk since the 1960s, the Chelsea captures imaginations by conjuring the long-lost glamour and sophistication of this seaside resort town as a magical retreat where leisure and luxury come together in a perfect blend of great service, true comfort, and alluring spaces.

Curtis Bashaw, lead developer of The Chelsea, told attendees of the Metropolitan Business and Civic Association’s annual luncheon – held earlier this year - that his hotel will feature long living room-esque areas, reminiscent of the glorious hotels from Atlantic City’s past.   The bars and lounges will immediately make a play for Atlantic City’s nightlife crowd. 

   The Chelsea marks a new era in Atlantic City.  Its success will determine how far the boutique hotel model will go in Atlantic City.

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Frank Formica and Formica’s Bakery Saturday, Jul 19 2008

   The Star Ledger featured a fantastic story on Frank Formica earlier this month.  In case you missed the story, do check out “Atlantic City bakery perseveres amid changing times,” by Judy DeHaven.  Ms. DeHaven said, in part:

Frank Formica is a bread baker, down to the core.

Sure, he had his moments. After high school, he toyed with the idea of moving to L.A. to become a rock star, although he didn’t get much further than the carnies in Cape May. And he did leave baking — once — for a stint at Resorts International.

But he always returned to Ducktown, once the “Little Italy” of Atlantic City, to a quaint bakery on Arctic Avenue across the street from the legendary White House Sub Shop.

There, the Formica Bros. Bakery still uses the recipe his grandparents created nearly a century ago to churn out 45,000 pieces of bread a day, along with tomato pies, biscotti and cannolis.

“Flour is in my blood,” he said.

If you have never tried Formica Bakery and Cafe’s products, shame on you.  Their food is delicious.

When Frank Formica returned to Ducktown in 1987, the bakery had hardly changed.

The coal-burning stove his grandfather had installed in 1927 was still operating. But since it did not comply with new environmental rules, it had to go.

As Frank put it: “I had to try to take this stone and bearskin and turn it into a mnemonic memory circuit.”

And the neighborhood was different.

“There were crackhouses, gun-trafficking,” Frank recalled. “But this was my neighborhood. So I stood to build the business up.”

He installed a brick-lined gas oven and doubled the size of the production area. Using his casino contacts, he expanded and turned it into a 24-hour bakery.

Atlantic City is blessed to have Frank Formica’s dedication to the Ducktown neighborhood.

 

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Casino Revenues Slump Saturday, Jul 19 2008

   There is no one reason for the declining casino revenues.  WBGO-FM Newark reported:

While some might not call it a slump, there have been definite downward trends for Atlantic City casinos this summer. Joe Weinert is the Senior Vice President of the casino consulting firm, Spectrum Gaming Group, and he says fewer gamblers are willing to risk filling up their tanks for slot machines and games of chance. Weinert says some casinos are adding more rooms or resort amenities like spas and shows to attract visitors in the future � but he says there’s little they can do to fix the problem in the interim. Weinert says gamblers in the metropolitan area would rather spend their money closer to home at other casinos where they have less strict smoking rules and electric game tables

Nearly everyone, except Atlantic City’s City Council, see that a smoking ban leads to decreased casino revenues.  The citizens of Atlantic City and South Jersey absolutely depend on the stability of casino revenues for our current level of prosperity.  City Council is intent on hindering the casinos ability to do business.  The City Councilmen and Mayor should be as aware of the threat of foreclosures and the nation-wide economic slowdown as citizens are.  Atlantic City government’s best move to help every person’s economic outlook is to stand-up to UAW labor union and give casinos the ability to permit smoking in their establishments. 

   Competition is developing in the surrounding areas.  Regional competition is skimming Atlantic City’s patron base.  Smart government would bring additional tools to our casinos, for them to successfully compete for patrons.  The current City Council unanimously tied the casinos hands with the support of Mayor Scott Evans.

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Jose Canseco Gets Trounced Sunday, Jul 13 2008

   AOL sports’ MLB Fanhouse details Saturday night’s boxing action at Bernie Robbins Stadium:

Vai Sikahema didn’t save the world on Saturday night, but he got the ball rolling, and that’s pretty good for an average guy. And he did so by quickly destroying Jose Canseco in a “celebrity” boxing “match” that didn’t last too particularly long and ended the same way it started, according to the New York Daily News: with a crowd of roughly 1,300 people booing, cursing and mocking the former baseball player for his steroid use.

 Will Brinson continues:

Usually I think happy endings are relatively sappy. But in this case, I’m willing to make an exception. Despite playing a role in the unveiling of MLB’s steroid culture, over the past few months, Canseco has been nothing short of a promiscuous media figure and a scourge for every decent minded C-list celebrity trying to keep up a respectful image.

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So-Called Public/Private Partnership Improper Friday, Jul 11 2008

   Yahoo Finance reports:

Atlantic City’s City Council unanimously approved an ordinance to allow negotiations on financing for road improvements for a new casino.

Revel Entertainment Group wants the city to issue $56 million in bonds to provide money for the company to redesign and widen access roads to the project.

The company’s attorney said Revel would be responsible for paying interest on the bonds, whose term and interest rate have not yet been determined.

Another vote to decide terms is scheduled in two weeks.

City government will now assume the role of partner in the Revel casino project.  City Council is two weeks away from further blurring the line between government and private interests.  So-called public/private partnerships are an abuse of the function of government.  If Atlantic City issues bonds on behalf of Revel Entertainment, the city sets a dangerous precedent that future developers will point to in their quest to get taxpayers to underwrite their projects.

   The Atlantic City City Council bonding proposal is an improper function of city government.  Public assistance grows in Atlantic City, while private and corporate responsibility diminishes.  A unanimous and united City Council is intent on growing government and intruding in what should be the business of a private business.  Revel Entertainment ought to be responsible for obtaining capital from private sources, not the credit of Atlantic City taxpayers.

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Atlantic City’s Next Boutique Hotel Wednesday, Jul 9 2008

   Just a few years ago, it would be unlikely for us to be talking about boutique hotels in Atlantic City.  Now, two are open and the third is on its way. DiGeorge Atlantic is building Prasada.  AndrewC writes:

Blah blah blah…nothing new here right? Oh no, Prasada will have a night club, wine tasting room, multi-lingual staff, movie screening room, a 5-story atrium over an indoor pool with cabanas, cigar lounge, mezzanine bar, and a library with fireplace. Oh yea, and it’ll be green-certified too. Woohoo!!

Atlantic City is well in to the era of boutique hotels.

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Looming Specter of Craig Callaway Monday, Jul 7 2008

   I take on the fascination with Craig Callaway in my July Casino Connection column.  There is still a great deal of respect for Mr. Callaway’s ability to amass political power.  My column looks at Atlantic City’s political power landscape.  There were some lessons learned from June’s primary election.

 Craig Callaway did not run for elected office last month. Yet Craig Callaway has been discussed as often as any candidate who vied in June’s mayoral primary. Why is Callaway—sitting in federal prison, hundreds of miles away—such a focal point for Atlantic City political discourse?

Read the rest of my column, by clicking here.

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