Ed sets sites on city casinos

Claiming that "the political landscape has changed" in the battle over casinos in Philadelphia, Gov. Rendell said yesterday that he will meet with operators of two proposed gaming houses about abandoning their Delaware River sites.

Rendell spoke a day after two powerful Philadelphia legislators - State House Appropriations Committee chairman Dwight Evans and State Sen. Vince Fumo - threatened the operators with legislative recrimination if they didn't agree to relocate the casinos.

Rendell said in an interview that opposition to the sites by the lawmakers and by Mayor Nutter were reason enough for him to convene a meeting with them and the casino operators.

"I'll meet and make a good-faith effort to explore the potential benefits of re-siting," Rendell said, "but nobody should get too excited. The only way these casinos can be legally re-sited is if the casinos voluntarily agree."

Spokeswomen for Foxwoods casino, on Columbus Boulevard at Reed Street in South Philadelphia, and for SugarHouse, on Shackamaxon Street in Fishtown, said operators would meet with the officials but remain committed to the sites approved by the state Gaming Control Board in December 2006.

Fumo and Evans on Wednesday held a news conference in Harrisburg with other Philadelphia lawmakers and threatened to introduce legislation withdrawing property-tax breaks to which the casinos are entitled if they don't agree to move their sites.

Fumo was prepared to immediately attach such a provision to a bill providing tax breaks for several economic-development projects, but agreed to let those projects proceed once Evans joined him in the fight to move the casinos from the waterfront.

"I've never taken an active role in this [casino] issue," Evans said in an interview yesterday, "but this has become a huge problem for us in the Legislature. When just about any bill comes up, someone tries to amend it with a casino provision."

Evans said the delay in getting casinos under way is hurting the city's reputation among legislators elsewhere, and if moving the sites is necessary to resolve the issue, he's prepared to pursue that.

Fumo said Rendell had agreed to "jawbone" the casino operators "to get them to see the light." Rendell said he wouldn't describe his purpose that way, saying only that he would explore the issue with them.

Fumo said in a telephone interview that his alliance with Evans would have a powerful impact on the casino operators.

"Dwight and I teaming up will wreak havoc on them," Fumo said. "It's just a question of time. I don't know how long they want to sustain the fight."

It's not clear how Fumo can sustain the fight, either. Moments after the interview, he took the floor of the Senate to give an emotional farewell to members, saying it might be his last day in the body after serving for 30 years. *

Staff writer Bob Warner contributed to this report.