Chris Churchill: Credit, or blame, for casino where it's due

Rensselaer

If a casino is built on the Rensselaer waterfront, we can thank (or blame) Joe Bruno.

The Republican played a leading role in clearing the land for development, and he did so in ways that illustrate the complexities of his time as Senate majority leader.

Let's jump back to 2004, when the proposed casino site was home to Rensselaer's high school and middle school. That's when developer U.W. Marx came along with a remarkable proposal: The company offered to build a new school campus in exchange for the valuable waterfront property.

Bruno, the former boxer, fought for the switch from the get-go and put the power of his office into his punches.

He threw taxpayer dollars at the plan, including $5 million for infrastructure at the site of the new school, and $475,000 to relocate City Hall away from the waterfront site. The plan also received $7 million in federal funds for road improvements, and additional state grants totaling at least $5 million.

Bruno sponsored special legislation that allowed U.W. Marx to both design and build the school, along with a separate bill that allowed the city to annex the land from North Greenbush. (Town officials were initially reluctant, but Bruno helped overcome the hesitation with $4 million for projects that included a new water tower.)

And when the Rensselaer school board dragged its feet on the plan, Bruno publicly chided members for moving too slowly.

All together, it was a remarkable amount of involvement in a local issue for a state leader.

It's even safe to say, I think, that the audacious land swap wouldn't have happened without Bruno's intervention. On Friday, I asked him about his commitment to the project.

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Chris Churchill: Credit, or blame, for casino where it's due