Statement by Todd Shimkus, Spokesperson for the Concerned

Citizens for Saratoga Racing and the President of the Saratoga

County Chamber of Commerce
April 11, 2016
The Concerned Citizens for Saratoga Racing supports the reprivatization of NYRA as
a not-for-profit corporation. The passage of legislation to accomplish this goal is a
priority for all of us in Saratoga Springs and Saratoga County as well as the Capital
Region, and it should be addressed before the Legislature adjourns its formal
session this June 2016.
We strongly believe that a primary benefit to a not-for-profit corporation is the fact
that voting representation from the private sector on the new Board of Directors can
be designated for key stakeholders and host communities, like Saratoga. Returning
NYRAs governance to a not-for-profit corporation must guarantee that our
community has voting representation that is in line with the substantial role
Saratoga plays in NYRAs financial success; it must be a meaningful role for local
advisory boards.
We are grateful for the leadership and commitment provided by our New York State
legislators to advance this goal. In particular, we believe that the letter to Governor
Cuomo authored last summer on July 23, 2015, which was signed by legislators
across the Capital Region as well as the Senate and Assembly leaders and Chairs of
the Racing Committees in the Senate and Assembly helped us to make this
discussion a priority this year.
We look forward to working with these legislators and the Governors office to
consider any ideas they may have. We believe a not-for-profit corporation model is
not only the best option, but it is what was agreed to and approved when the
temporary board was formed four years ago. The temporary board and new
management was charged with, and has successfully transformed NYRAs
operations, resulting in a profitable operation two years in a row.
The Saratoga Race Course is the oldest sporting venue in the United States and
hosts the most successful race meeting in our country every summer with a
regional economic impact locally of more than $240 million annually. Saratoga
must preserve and protect this unique treasure for generations to come.

Members of the Concerned Citizens for Saratoga Racing:

Cindy Hollowood, General Manager of the Holiday Inn

Charles V. Wait, Chairman and CEO of the Adirondack Trust Company
Tom Roohan, Broker-Owner of Roohan Realty
Rod Sutton, Owner of Sutton and Tarantino Insurance Agency
Dr. William Wilmot, an equine veterinarian and co-owner of Stepwise Farm
Jeffrey Cannizzo, Executive Director of the New York State Thoroughbred Breeders
Association
Tom Gallo, Owner of Parting Glass Racing
Brian Straughter, owner of Turf Hotels and the Hampton Inn and Suites
Todd Garofano, President of the Saratoga Convention and Tourism Bureau
Joe Torani, Senior Partner SaxBST and Chair of the Saratoga Local Racing Advisory
Board
Dr. Scott Alschwede, a veterinarian and a partner in Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital
Matt Jones, owner of The Jones Law Firm and the Chair of the Saratoga County
Chamber of Commerce
David Cummings, owner of The Run at Saratoga
Todd Shimkus, President of the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce
Joe Dalton, former President of the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce
Maureen Lewi, former owner of Ed Lewi Associates
John Hendrickson, Special Advisor to the Governor, NYRA Board of Directors
Tim Pehl, partner in Roback, Kumlander and Pehl
Jack Knowlton, Empire Health Advisors
Joe McMahon, McMahon Thoroughbreds