Michael Treanor has been the engine behind the bid of the Nevele hotel to obtain one of the four casino licenses available to upstate New York companies. The venerable hotel, located in the Catskills, was seen as one of the early favorites because of Treanor’s dedication to the project.
But not Treanor is gone after it was revealed that he was convicted in 2007 of assault against his then 41-year-old sister after a night of drinking at a New York City tavern. Although the 48-year-old Treanor contended the sex was consensual, he pled guilty to a third-degree assault change and was sentenced to three years of probation and a year of psychological evaluation. During the probation, Treanor twice tested positive for cocaine.
Treanor resigned after the revelation saying he didn’t want the issue to become a “distraction” to the effort to obtain a license for Nevele.
“I don’t think it’s a coincidence that this painful, private, seven-year-old family matter is being resurrected now,” said Treanor in a release. “I have worked tirelessly for Ulster County and Wawarsing for several years, and helped the Nevele enjoy unparalleled public support. The matter and my character were completely vetted years ago by the New York State Grievance Committee and was brought to the attention of Nevada regulators with no resulting limitation on my ability to practice law or operate casinos.”
Claremont Partners Director David Runciman defended Treanor but accepted his resignation.
“The Nevele would not be where it is today without Michael’s tireless efforts,” said Runciman. “The details about the misdemeanor assault were disclosed publicly years ago and this has all the hallmarks of a smear campaign by one of the Nevele’s competitors. At the end of the day, we are confident that the merits of the proposal to transform the Nevele into a world-class casino resort are clear and compelling, and we won’t be distracted from the important mission of rebuilding the region’s economy.”
Runciman announced that longtime gaming veteran Kathi Meci would be elevated from COO to interim CEO.
For the past 15 years, Meci has been focused on the functional planning and operation of casinos. Her work includes collaborating with design and construction teams, as well as gaming regulators. Her major projects include leadership roles for the pre-opening planning and development of Wynn Macau (VP operations), Wynn Las Vegas, Pennsylvania’s Parx Casino, Okada Resort Manila Bay in the Philippines (general manager), L’Arc (Macau) (CEO) and a variety of smaller projects. She served as COO of the Nevele for the last eight months and has a strong understanding of the project and the Catskills region.
“Our effort to rebuild the area’s economy through the reuse of the Nevele as a family-friendly resort, casino and spa cannot be distracted,” said Meci. “We must focus entirely on putting forth the best proposal for Ulster County and the Hudson Valley. I would like to thank supporters for sticking by the Nevele and I encourage them to continue to express their support for our proposal.”
