Mayor Wants a Meeting on Casino Issues

Pittsburgh mayor Luke Ravenstahl says he is holding off on making any decisions regarding the Majestic Star Casino until he has a chance to sit down with the Gaming Control Board, the new majority stakeholders in the casino and County Chief Executive Dan Onorato to discuss the issues. Ravenstahl did say that he cannot imagine putting the casino anywhere other than the current location on the North Shore. He also stipulated that whomever takes over the development would have to live up the obligations to the city agreed upon with the former head investor Don Barden--including financial help with the new Penguins' hockey arena and money for community groups and development. The mayor cautioned that because the Gaming Control Board had already made a big mistake by approving Barden's proposal the first time around, he was reticent to rush into another poor decision by the board.