Tuxedo has many good things. The whole casino process revealed the many good people engaged with their community — those who are concerned and care about the future of Tuxedo. Following is a letter from Tuxedo Chamber of Commerce President Bill Sweet that briefly reviews the casino process and chamber position while also looking at the community engagement as opportunity to continue to build a better Tuxedo.

Good afternoon,

We are disappointed in the NYS Gaming Commission Facility Location Board’s decision not to award a license to Sterling Forest Resort. The economic and employment benefits were clearly superior to other options, and we share the enthusiasm that the Resorts World Orange County team showed throughout the process in our town.

That said, we do want to pause and point out that at the moment, we are uncertain as to the impact that the location board’s decision will have on the existing plans for Sterling Forest Resort. Any final review should wait until we’ve had a chance to sit down with the developers.

Bill Sweet, president of the Tuxedo Chamber and partner in Stevens & Sweet, a Tuxedo financial planning firm.

Assuming that the project will not move forward without a gaming license, there was much good that came out of the last eight months. The reality is that the Town of Tuxedo and our local school district have already benefited financially from significant outside investment. This is a credit to our elected leadership – Mike Rost and the Town Board, Lili Neuhauser and the Village Board, and Joanne Vernon and the TUFSD School Board – who were instrumental in negotiating up-front, irrevocable financial commitments while simultaneously buying time to begin a thorough due diligence process.

We want to affirm that the future of business in Tuxedo remains very bright. Tuxedo was only five votes away from a $2.5 billion investment in our economy. This is not the only chance that Tuxedo has to win a significant investment in our economic future, to say nothing of several large projects that are already underway in our community. We are excited to continue to work with these parties, along with several new voices that came to the table as a result of Sterling Forest Resort who have interesting ideas for our shared future.

Throughout the process, we kept an open dialogue with several entities, including sister Chambers of Commerce, environmental groups, and other interested parties. My own personal thoughts on the subject evolved continuously based on new information that they brought to the table. This ability for various individuals and groups to communicate is and will always be absolutely critical. We are very impressed with the passion and commitment that so many have for Tuxedo, and are glad that we could be a part of the conversation, even if we did not always agree. We have to remember that those who care about our community share a common goal, even if we don’t always arrive at the same conclusions.

We do not perceive this decision as a setback. The Chamber’s mission remains unchanged. As stakeholders in our future, our members and our leadership are committed to the long-term growth and development of the Tuxedo business community. The Tuxedo Chamber of Commerce will continue to work in town to make things better each and every day for those of us who live and work here.

Thank you for your support. We’re looking forward to 2015 and beyond.

William Sweet
President, Tuxedo Chamber of Commerce

Bill Sweet currently serves as the President of the Board of the Tuxedo Chamber of Commerce, Treasurer of the Tuxedo Park Library, and is a Trustee of the Tuxedo Historical Society.