New Jersey Republicans Seeking State Office Running on Anti-Casino Smoking Platforms
New island of Jersey Republicans seeking res publica power have taken positions opposing ongoing baccy smoking interior Atlantic Ocean City casinos.
Assemblyman Vince Polistina (R-Egg Harbor) and Don River Guardian, the former Republican mayor of Atlantic City, say they both controvert allowing gamblers to scant(p) upwards indoors casinos. Indoor gambling casino smoking resumed July 4 next the extinguishment of New island of Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy’s (D) temporary ban because of COVID-19.
I think the fact that cassino revenue during the smoking forbidding was upwards over 10 percent inward 2021, as compared to the same time in 2019, we can check the forbidding did not wounded business,” Guardian opined this week. “With wellness as the teetotum priority as we come out of the pandemic, we demand to realize our gambling casino employees and guests are placed at risk each clip they go into a casino. They need our help.”
Guardian, a one-term Atlantic City mayor who lost his reelection adjure to the now-disgraced Frank Gilliam, is running to drum out Assemblyman St. John Armato (D-Buena) inward the 2nd Legislative District. The dominion covers Atlantic County and its municipalities, including Atlantic City.
GOP Casino Position
Polistina is running to win the body politic Senate seat left unoccupied by former Sen. Chris Robert Brown (R-Ventnor City) after he decided earliest this year to serve up the Murphy governing body as a “senior advisor to Atlantic Ocean City affairs.”
Polistina also believes the state’s Smokefree Air Act loophole afforded to casinos needs to end.
“Casino workers and guests were able-bodied to see what it would be ilk to be within a smoke-free casino,” said Polistina. “While the COVID-19 pandemic will follow a thing of the past times at some point, the risks associated with second-hand smoke are real real, and not sledding anyplace unless we doh something to change that.
As someone who has suffered a personal red ink from cancer, this supply could non strike more closely to nursing home for me,” Polistina explained.
New Jersey Deputy Attorney General Claire Swift, also running for Armato’s seat, opposes casino smoking, too.
“A smoking banning within cassino properties would certainly encourage families to take Atlantic City, erst again, a kinsfolk destination,” she said. Swift added that a smoke-free Atlantic City casino marketplace would pretend the terminus to a greater extent desirable for families.
Tobacco Giant Interjects
Atlantic City is predominantly a Democratic town. Guardian is the gambling casino city’s lone Republican city manager since 1990. 2nd District Assemblyman Vince Mazzeo (D-Northfield) has been reelected quaternity times, and Armato twice.
Philip Morris, the largest tobacco plant maker in the world, is interested with smoke-free casinos comely a larger trend than it already is. And out of doors Las Vegas, Atlantic Ocean City is the to the highest degree important casino market inward the United States.
According to New island of Jersey movement finance records, Philip William Morris is donating to res publica lawmakers and political candidates at rates not seen in more than a decade. Duke of Edinburgh Esther Hobart McQuigg Slack Morris late contributed $36,500 to New Jersey Senate and Assembly Democrats, and $22,000 to the GOP leadership committees.
The Democratic candidates feature in time to read such strong anti-smoking stances. Murphy, however, said lately that he would follow “open-minded” to the discussion.