A New Jersey takeover of Atlantic City seems all but inevitable. Although Mayor Don Guardian (R) is vowing to “fight this until we cannot fight any longer,” the state has 
tentatively rejected his bailout plan for the city. The kibosh was put on it not by Gov. Chris Christie (R) or pal state Sen. Stephen Sweeney (D) but by relatively obscure Department of Community Affairs Commissioner Charles Richman … An ironic moniker for a man dealing with a pauper city. Richman faulted the Guardian plan — which calls for selling everything from Bader Field to city-owned filing cabinets (no kidding) for not going far enough. He was skeptical of the municipal water authority being able to finance the Bader Field sale and said the city “has had ample time to improve the city’s financial condition and yet has avoided doing so in any meaningful way.” He also faulted city leaders for underestimating the cost of debt servicing and failing to dissolve the water authority.
While Richman’s recommendation is nonbinding it will go before the Local Finance Board (a state agency despite its name) right after Election Day for consideration. Given the rhetoric that has been coming out of Trenton in the recent past, we fear that Guardian will have to get used to the concept of “Mayor Christie” and soon.
* When the late, fondly remembered John Woodrum died, it appeared that he had taken the Klondike Sunset with him. The new owner had health problems of his own, leaving the property shrouded in scaffolding considerably longer than planned. But Nevada Gaming Properties has now reopened the Klondike Sunset and the Las Vegas Sun went to check it out. The paper didn’t find any 10-cent roulette — a Woodrum staple — but a refurbished, comparatively small locals casino, outfitted with 225 slot machines and video poker devices. Nestled in a largely industrial area, the Klondike is truly ‘local,’ counting heavily on walk-in business from its “rough-hewn” surroundings. It also banking on Henderson Hospital, an industrial park and in-progress master-planned community Cadence to supply it with patrons.
General Manager David Nolan argues that small is beautiful. “It’s a big thing for us,” he told the Sun in an ironic turn of phrase. “If you’re at a Stations [sic] place, you’re one in thousands for casino promotions and contests. Here you’re a big fish in a little pond.” Given its brand-spanking-new ambience, the revamped Klondike may lack the special grind-join cachet of its predecessor but nostalgic patrons will (we hope) flock to it nevertheless.
* Vietnam is contemplating relaxing its no-gambling-by-citizens rule for a three-year trial period. Sheldon Adelson has openly coveted the Vietnamese market. Could this be his window of opportunity? Of course, if they government goes back on the idea in 2020, resort developers could find themselves on the hook for too-hasty capital commitments. Who’d have thought when we were fighting the Vietnam War that one day we’d be talking about building casinos over there? My young mind would certainly never have conceived it.
