I am an attorney representing an organization called Citizens for the Revitalization of the Catskills. We have been informed that recently a group of Orthodox Rabbis have taken a stance against building casinos in Sullivan County. Please be very circumspect and skeptical of their arguments.

While I am Jewish and many in my organization are Jewish, I feel that the Orthodox rabbis have taken this position against the development of two casinos in Sullivan County as a self-serving stance without any true regard for the betterment of the region. In this regard, their personal interests to oppose the casinos in Sullivan County run contrary to those of the whole community and region.

I am the grandson of Irving Lansman. My grandfather founded a summer resort in Sullivan County in 1945. The resort, known as Lansmans, still survives. It's a testament to the beauty and wonder of what the region offered to its residents, to visitors and tourists for over 60 years. It is an example of what Sullivan County was and what it can become once again.

While Lansmans is a summer resort, it supports the local community in every way. Our interests are the same as the interests of the local community.

We are very troubled and saddened by the decline of Sullivan County. Tragically, our region is today on its last dying gasps. Land values are at an all-time low. Businesses have moved away. Schools have closed. Towns have been shuttered. The local economy is hanging on by its fingertips.

We are in desperate need of a bold stimulus to drive businesses, tourism and residents back. We need a beacon that will attract businesses and tourists who will in turn support the community and not work against it.

The opportunities offered by the development and existence of two casinos in Sullivan County are the only real chance for revitalization of Sullivan County and the entire region. The proposed casino destination resorts are the shot in the arm that the Catskills has been crying out for — for 30 years.

The casinos will offer jobs, housing, rebirth of businesses, tourism, excitement in the region and a light at the end of the tunnel for all its year-round residents and to those that remember the wonder years of the Catskills.

Casinos represent a chance for the next generation to enjoy what Sullivan County once was and will become once again.

Conversely, and with all due respect to the Orthodox community, their position represents the death of the region.

The Orthodox community thrives on a down-trodden community that they temporarily occupy and do not really participate or live in. The Orthodox community uses Sullivan County for 7 weeks and then shuts down and leaves until the next July. The businesses they open are kept open for only 7 weeks of the year.

In reality, what they offer is a ghost town for the local community. Their claim that they provide an economic stimulus to the local economy is questionable.

With the Orthodox community owning and operating local businesses there is no attraction and no opportunity for local residents to gain jobs, to open new businesses and to stimulate much needed tourism. By keeping the economy depressed, the Orthodox community is able to buy land and businesses at dirt cheap and foreclosed prices. They reap the benefits of a depressed area while at the same time keeping the local community and economy down. This formula works for themselves but not for the local community and for the region.

I strongly urge anyone who considers their opposition to casinos to visit local towns during all but 7 weeks during the summer. You will see firsthand the devastation of a once thriving area. For example the towns of South Fallsburg and Woodbourne are almost entirely shuttered. These ghost towns are kept that way by the very community that now opposes casinos in the region.

Consider the real reason for the Orthodox community members to so forcefully oppose the casinos. They well know that casinos represent a real chance for the revitalization of the local economy, community and surrounding region.

Revitalization will increase land values and bring in beneficial competition for land, houses, and businesses. These new businesses will operate year-round and support everyone, local residents and visitors. Those businesses will increase land values and will stand in the way of the Orthodox community from continuing to take advantage of a depressed and unprotected area. This is the real reason why they oppose casinos.

The Orthodox community members also list Sullivan County as their permanent residence, while in actuality it is nothing more than a summer respite. They list the area as a permanent residence to grab power and exert self-serving interests in the local community and local government. That way they can prevent action by local governments to try to fix what is broken.

Recently, local communities have started to fight back to challenge the Orthodox community's attempt to control the local government. Please don't allow the vocal minority to control the future for the silent majority. We deserve an opportunity to make a comeback.

The New York State legislative decision to allow two casinos in the Catskills and the statewide vote to support these casinos has far reaching benefits that will define the success of the future for our region and in return for all of New York State.

I do not represent the interests of the casinos themselves, but rather I support what the casinos will offer.

There is much to admire about the Orthodox community, including their commitment to family and religion. Their unwavering support of each other is a lesson for all to learn. However, their stance on casinos runs contrary to the interest of everyone else. Blocking casinos is a self-serving act that will keep Sullivan County depressed.

Citizens for the Revitalization of Sullivan County seeks to offer a voice that represents the interests of the local community, not the interests of just one group, but rather the interests for all.

Please stand strong in support of this vital opportunity.