Summing Up AC in 2007
You can check out this week’s AC Weekly, published tomorrow (Dec. 27) to see our “year in review” for the Atlantic City region. It’s interesting how Atlantic City still occasionally takes a hit for being Las Vegas’ weak little seaside sister. On a positive note, the numerous on-going casino/hotel room expansions, new casinos ready to break ground and discussion of the Bader field property generated plenty of positive press nationally in the business sector. Our outstanding dining and shopping options, as they continue to expand, have also been well documented in the New York Times and other major publications. The city has continued to prove that younger people are coming here for a night on the town or a weekend getaway, helping to dispel the notion that AC is a town that only caters to bus tripping seniors.
By the way fellow 50+ folks, that doesn’t mean we don’t appreciate the continued business generated by older citizens. After all, our current spokesman, Dennis Hopper (in those Ameriprise commercials), is definitely making it clear that those seeking continued profit in the marketplace must still reckon with the Baby Boomer Generation. (Go here for a spoof of that commercial.)
I'm putting the Tropicana owners' loss of its license on the positive side. The system worked and the right decision was made. Read AC Weekly Mike Epifanio's recent editor's note and columnist Pinky Kravitz here for more insights.
So much for the thumbs up news; now let’s look at the negative. The whole mess with the absentee mayor became a punch line for New York newspapers, which in turn expanded the punch line to publications across the nation. Papers locally, and in the Philadelphia region with more on-going information, presented the story fairly. It was an unfortunate situation, but the city continued to function and the casino industry was not affected at all, although there was speculation that the casinos would be nervous until the situation was resolved. It was resolved without the city’s day-to-day operations ever suffering. End of story.
The one year anniversary of the murdered prostitute case came and went without any additional “persons of interest” coming to light. That is a black mark on the region, but it is never as easy as they make it look on the CSI shows. We can only hope that some evidence does surface so that this horrendous murder case is solved.
The on-going corruption of former city officials and the jail terms that followed are a black mark, only matched by the parallel on-going corruption cases of Philadelphia politicians, some of which intersected with our dirty politicos. It would be nice if the colorful history of Atlantic City as both an illegal gambling mecca decades ago, and its on-going revival as a legalized gambling haven could put the greased palms in the rear view mirror.
In conclusion, let’s hope the embarrassing punch lines are kept to a minimum in 2008.