Before I get going, I feel compelled to put this out there: I've heard from a couple of different quarters that somehow or other I blindsided the republican leadership by not running. It is true that I never publicly indicated that I wasn't running. I did, however, have dinner with the republican leadership just about 20 months ago and told them that if they wanted to be assured of a full slate that they would need at least 4 candidates as I wouldn't commit. That dinner was at a sushi restaurant and there were 4 of us there. If the leadership was blindsided they must've encountered some sort of medical problem. I'd also point out that if the only thing holding someone back from running was my decision that they didn't want it that bad anyway.
The sign stealing continues unabated. The democrats are being hit the hardest although Sheryl is suffering some losses as well. Many of the signs in old town had the metal supports stolen last night – my Sheryl sign took a hit but I had metal supports from one of my signs to use. It's juvenile and ridiculous. I'll be happy when this is over. Some sign loss is expected, I had one run over and Steve Randolph had one set on fire (!) but this is well beyond that.
I've just blown back into town from a convention in Atlantic City. A quick 2-day affair for an Information Technology Trade Association that my firm belongs to. I was never much of a believer in these things previously but they've proved their worth over the longer haul. Expanding horizons is a good thing. I seem to end up at one of these events about every 6 weeks. Some folks think that the travel is glamorous or some such but after awhile, it can be a real grind, especially if you're traveling alone. I do better with the fam on travel.
Atlantic City is really experiencing some significant head winds. The opening of casinos in surrounding states is really hurting the economy there. They have 4 casinos that have closed and expect to lose a 5th in December. This has the potential to really feed on itself. The lack of investment in the older casinos was really showing the last time I was there about 5 years ago. The boardwalk is kind of cool and Caesars is nice but I walked down the beach and went into the Plaza….the word that comes to mind is "grimy". I stayed at Bally's this time around and, while it ain't bad, it's getting close to faded glory. The weight room appears to have been stolen from a 70's Bond flick. I half expected Pussy Galore or OddJob to walk out of a door. The rooms were passable but clearly outdated. Wifi was $10 for 2 hours!!! and there weren't many outlets in the room. The mattress was old and had been "topped" with one of those gel things. I know because I did the same thing to save money but rapidly concluded it, well, sucked.
AC still does have several significant Casinos that are newer that will provide good anchors and the outlet stores when you first come into town are really nice. It's hard for me to tell how this works out. Remember Jersey is a very different place than VA – I don't think the government there will hesitate for too long to get involved. In addition, the Hotel Workers unions are also trying to get the closed casinos sold and back in business but that doesn't seem likely to me – especially for the old ones. The Revel, which is 3-4 years old probably has the best shot but that isn't for certain either. Surrounding states continue to open casinos and, if you're a gambler, you really don't care if you go to Maryland or Jersey to gamble.
In addition, about 30% (if memory serves) of the visitors to AC also make day trips to other Jersey shore towns – Cape May, Wildwood, etc. so the damage isn't limited to just AC. Thats a big impact on those towns as well….