Statement from Senator George Borrello on Proposal to Dismantle Western Regional OTB Governance Structure

BATAVIA, NY – Senator George Borrello issued the following statement today in response to reports that a budget proposal under consideration would dismantle the current board of the Western Regional Off-Track Betting and replace it with a restructured model that would undermine the role of rural counties: 

“Although they already control the major levers of power in Albany, that hasn’t stopped Democrat One-Party Rule for brazenly and continually hunting for more opportunities to conquer and silence those outside their control. Their latest power grab targets Western Regional Off-Track Betting which has operated for five decades under a model of shared operational control between 15 county governments and the Cities of Rochester and Buffalo. However, changes under consideration right now would eliminate this cooperative structure of the past 50 years and replace it with a politicized board that would do Albany’s bidding. The voices of our rural counties would be silenced and the jobs and revenue they depend on put at risk. I am fiercely opposed to this last-minute attempt to slide this controversial proposal into the budget as the final details come together. It is another shameful attempt at rigging the system for political purposes and should be rejected.”  

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