Critics are calling New York Governor Kathy Hochul out for her appointment of Marissa Shorenstein, the daughter of a major gambling lobbyist, to the New York Gaming Commission, which regulates all gaming in the state.
Her father, Stuart Shorenstein, co-founded Cozen O’Connor, which, in addition to lobbying for gaming clients, is listed as the lobbying firm for HBC-Saks Fifth Avenue, one of the companies bidding for one of three New York City casino licenses, for a gaming space inside the famous retail building.
Watchdog groups are saying Melissa Shorenstein’s appointment to the gaming commission creates a conflict of interest.
“This is a head-shaker,” said John Kaehny, executive director of the nonprofit Reinvent Albany, in an interview with the New York Post. “This is Planet Albany. Why appoint Shorenstein to something directly related to her father’s job? There are so many boards and commissions the governor could have appointed Shorenstein to. Why appoint her to the one that raises red flags? It’s absurd.”
Shorenstein, who was press secretary to former New York Governor David Paterson, headed up Hochul’s transition team when she became governor.
While Hochul’s office did not respond to the critics, a top official of the Gaming Commission commented to the Post defending the appointment.
“Marissa Shorenstein is a highly qualified individual with decades of leadership in the public and private sector, who has always abided by the highest ethical standards on the Gaming Commission,” said the commission’s deputy executive director, Lee Park. “It’s shameful that anonymous critics are making sensational allegations.”
