Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Thoroughbred racing

Mayor Valerie Keehn was appointed to the Ad Hoc Committee on the Future of Racing in New York, which released its report on February 21, 2007. Newly in office, Governor Spitzer has since decided to establish his own state panel to review the proposals of companies that want to operate the state's Thoroughbred racing franchise. Nonetheless, in the time-consuming process of serving on the Ad Hoc Committee on the Future of Racing in New York, which met in Albany and New York City, Mayor Keehn gained an unparallelled understanding of the issues involved in Thoroughbred racing at the state level, in addition to her understanding of the local issues here in the home of the Saratoga Race Course. And she made valuable contacts with leaders in New York's racing industry. All of this unique experience will serve Mayor Keehn very well in a second term, since horse racing is of such critical importance to our economy in Saratoga Springs.