On Wednesday, July 28, United States Trotting Association Executive Vice President and CEO Mike Tanner, president Phil Langley and chairman of the board Ivan Axelrod sent New Jersey Governor Chris Christie a letter urging him
to seriously consider the ramifications of the recommendations in the Hanson Report before moving forward.
The contents of the letter appears below.
Dear Governor Christie:
On behalf of the United States Trotting Association’s members in New Jersey, our thousands of members nationwide, and the hundreds of thousands of Meadowlands fans nationwide and worldwide, we ask that you seriously consider the ramifications of the recommendations in the Hanson Report before you move forward.
New Jersey hosts what is widely acknowledged as the best harness racing in the world. It also is home to many of the best breeding establishments and training centres in the USA. These are huge investments made by people that believe in New Jersey racing. People send mares from all over the USA and Europe to be bred in New Jersey.
One thing the Hanson Report seemingly didn’t consider was the positive reputation New Jersey has enjoyed not only nationwide but also worldwide because of the Meadowlands. For example, on the night of the Meadowlands Pace hundreds of thousands of fans nationwide watched the races from other racetracks, off track wagering outlets, television outlets and internet video. On Hambletonian day, August 7, with national television millions of fans will be focused on the Meadowlands and New Jersey. The prestige of the Meadowlands is a great positive for New Jersey.
Harness fans from all over the world watch racing from the Meadowlands. In 2011 the World Trotting Conference is scheduled for the United States and the representatives from around 20 countries requested it be held near the Meadowlands during Hambletonian week. Last year and again this year the Hambletonian Day races will be simulcast and bet on in Europe.
The fact that many horse owners from other states and Canada race at Freehold and the Meadowlands means a lot of visitors will spend money in New Jersey.
We believe all economic studies show that closing the Meadowlands would be a huge loss to your economy. That would occur from the elimination of jobs, farms, homes, etc. Clearly all of these people pay property, sales and state income taxes as well as spend tens of millions at local businesses. And that doesn’t even consider the loss of tourism dollars.
The financial contributions racing makes to the economy of a state are hard to measure because they are terribly complex. From the operation of a racetrack with its thousands of jobs; the training, boarding and racing of horses; the breeding, raising and selling of horses; the jobs of the racing commission and other things like the growing of feed and straw all are part of an industry employing tens of thousands of people. We know that the New Jersey horsemen have told you that the loss of jobs would be in the thousands. We believe they are exactly right.
Most every city, state or county would do handstands to attract a company with even a few hundred employees by giving them all kinds of tax breaks and other benefits. To eliminate an established industry of thousands just doesn’t make sense.
The USTA urges you and the powers that be to find a way to keep harness racing operating in New Jersey.
Michael J. Tanner
Executive Vice President & CEO
F. Phillip Langley
President
Ivan Axelrod
Chairman
(USTA)