Janae Pierre: Welcome to NYC Now, your source for local news in and around New York City, from WNYC. It's Wednesday, April 2nd. Here's the midday news from Michael Hill.

Michael Hill: Mayor Adams' criminal case is officially over. Judge Dale Ho issued an order this morning dismissing the case for good, with no chance of charges being brought back in the future. A federal grand jury indicted Adams last year for federal corruption. Prosecutors say he accepted flight upgrades and illegal campaign donations in exchange for political favors. Adams pleaded not guilty and has vehemently denied any wrongdoing. President Trump's administration directed prosecutors to ask a judge to dismiss the case.

The MTA is pledging to beef up security on subway trains after a pair of teens allegedly broke into a conductor cab and attacked a transit worker. MTA Chair Janno Lieber says one of the suspected teens has already been arrested and faces multiple charges.

Janno Lieber: It's not acceptable when our conductors are attacked. Anybody any MTA employee attacks, we're going to go crazy in making sure you go to jail.

Michael Hill: Lieber says he wants new train cars to have more advanced security measures, such as biometric devices that only allow conductor cabs to be unlocked with a fingerprint or face scan. The NYPD says the duo punched the 51-year-old conductor and stole her keys, keys used to access sensitive parts of the subway system. They say the conductor was not seriously hurt.

Taking a look at your forecast now, we're at 46 with sunshine, partly sunny today with a high near 49 degrees, and then tomorrow, drizzle and showers in the morning. Then a chance of showers through the afternoon as well with a high of 70 degrees. This is WNYC.

Janae Pierre: Stay close. There's more after the break.

Sean Carlson: I'm Sean Carlson for WNYC. A controversial proposal to build a casino in Queens has won a powerful backer. State Senator John Liu says he supports New York Mets owner Steve Cohen's Metropolitan Park proposal in exchange for the billionaire's pledge to build a High Line-inspired pedestrian bridge backers are calling Flushing Skypark. Senator John Liu joins us now to talk about his decision and the next steps forward. Senator, thanks so much for coming on.

Senator John Liu: Yes, thanks for having me, Sean.

Sean Carlson: Tell us, to start, about the legislation that you'll be introducing.

Senator John Liu: First and foremost, we know that there are three casino licenses that the State Gaming Commission will be granting, most likely by the end of this year, and there are about a dozen companies who are posing or putting bids in for those three licenses. Steve Cohen and his partners, they have a proposal that cannot proceed without being able to use the very large parking lot next to the Mets stadium.

That parking lot, which is an asphalt lot, is technically parkland. They need state legislation that authorizes the use for other purposes, such as commercial and specifically a gaming facility, so I've agreed to put in the bill that would authorize the use of that parkland for other uses.

Sean Carlson: Now, we know how hard it is to build something in New York. The Flushing Skypark is a whole other project on top of the casino development. What happens if the efforts to build the park doesn't take off?

Senator John Liu: I'm very happy that Steve and his partners they agreed that connectivity with Flushing, my area of New York City, to their site, which they call Metropolitan Park, it's very important. Flushing has been cut off from the Metropolitan Park area or where the Mets stadium is, also known as Willets Point, for generations, because we have this Flushing Creek, which is why this Skypark is very important. For 20 years, something like this has been envisioned for Flushing and Willets Point.

I expect this crossing to actually become a destination in itself, but if for some reason they're not able to complete the Skypark, then they have committed to paying $100 million for fixing up the infrastructure of Flushing Meadows Corona Park.

Sean Carlson: Now, most of the proposed Metropolitan Park site isn't in your district at all. It's in the neighboring district. It's represented in the state Senate by Jessica Ramos. She is opposed to the casino, and your bill directly contradicts what she thinks is best for her district. Does that give you any pause in moving forward with such a massive undertaking?

Senator John Liu: Senator Ramos has the lion's share of the site in question. Part of the site in question, a much smaller piece, is in my district, but I think most people understand that a project of this magnitude is not a local project per se. It has a tremendous amount of impact not only in that immediate area. It certainly would have a huge impact on Flushing, which is the area that I represent.

Now, Senator Ramos has been very conscientious about listening to her constituents, and she opposes the use of that parkland as part of this casino proposal, based on the constituent feedback that she's gotten. Similarly, I've also listened to my constituents, and for the most part, the lion's share of my constituents are very much in favor of this proposal. All of my community boards have voted, have passed resolutions in support of the proposal.

The City Council itself as a whole, including the City Council members representing this area, they've-- I think it was a vote of something like 40 to 2, only two against. That would allow the use of this land as a gaming facility. I think there's broad support, but I certainly respect Senator Ramos in her position. I think it's a principled position, but at the end of the day, my position is mine and it's based on my understanding of what my constituents want.

Sean Carlson: Have you spoken with Senator Ramos since you came out in favor of Metropolitan Park?

Senator John Liu: Oh, yes. I work very closely with Jessica. We've known each other for a long time. I understand where she's coming from, and I believe she understands where I'm coming from.

Sean Carlson: Casinos don't have the best track record in terms of bringing benefits to the neighborhood they're built in, and that includes things like home values. There's decades-old economic data from the National Association of Realtors that indicates casinos have "an unambiguously negative impact" on neighboring property values. Is this casino what your constituents want, and do you believe that it is in your district's best interest given that data?

Senator John Liu: That's a very good point. If I had my truthers, there'd be no casinos anywhere, certainly not in New York. The reality is that there are going to be three casinos in the New York City area, including Nassau County and Westchester, potentially including Nassau County and Westchester. I think the potential harm that comes from casinos is not something to be sneezed at, but it's a reality that these three licenses are going to be granted in this region. I'm trying to do what I think is best for the long-term of my community, and I think this is the way to go.

Sean Carlson: What do you say to the argument that casinos are effectively a regressive tax on the poor, taking advantage of people who are financially desperate to make money?

Senator John Liu: I would not disagree with that, so is the lottery, which I'm against as well, and so are most sales taxes and property taxes. That's a part of our economy. I wish we can eliminate everything that is regressive, but on the other hand, there are studies and lots of experts who cite the huge number of jobs that would be created. They're not low-paying jobs, they're not minimum-wage jobs. They're actually relatively highly paid.

The major unions are very much in support of this proposal for the very fact that good high-paying jobs will be created. The Cohen team has pledged a huge amount of preference for local hiring, so it would be job opportunities for the immediate area.

Sean Carlson: Just in terms of the actual procedure to get these things built, what does have to happen next in the process?

Senator John Liu: Specifically for the Cohen proposal to proceed, this bill that I'm introducing this week has to become law. That law then allows the use of that 50-acre parking lot next to Mets stadium. Once that is achieved, Cohen can then submit his proposal to the State Gaming Commission, and then the State Gaming Commission will decide which of the 11 proposals will get one of the three gaming licenses that are designated for the Downstate area.

If Cohen wins one of those three gaming licenses, then he's going to proceed with this project, including the construction of the Skypark, including an overhaul of the 7-train subway station in front of the Mets stadium, and a number of other amenities that he's promised.

Sean Carlson: That's State Senator John Liu from Queens. Senator Liu, as always, thanks so much for joining us.

Senator John Liu: Thanks for having me.

Janae Pierre: Thanks for listening. This is NYC Now from WNYC. Catch us every weekday, three times a day, for your top news headlines and occasional deep dives, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. More soon.

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