Schenectady

The City Council is utilizing a little-known section of municipal code to ensure the proposed street leading into the new Rivers Casino will bear the name of one of the facility's operators.

A majority of the council is expected to adopt a resolution Monday night making "Rush Street" the name of the entrance road for the casino, which is being built on the former American Locomotive property off Erie Boulevard. Rush Street Gaming of Chicago is partners in the project with local developer Galesi Group. The casino is expected to open in about a year.

Schenectady council members Vincent Riggi and Marion Porterfield, who are on the committee that would move such a proposal to a vote before the full council, opposed the "Rush Street" name and wanted a chance for a more historic moniker to be chosen, such as honoring the locomotive company that was at the Mohawk River site for more than 150 years.

But to get around any potential roadblock from Riggi, who ran as a Republican but is an unaffiliated voter, and Porterfield, a Democrat, the City Council's Democratic majority leader Edward Kosiur used a municipal law that allows non-committee members to go around fellow colleagues and place resolutions on the City Council's main agenda. Kosiur, who co-sponsored the resolution, wrote a letter to city Clerk Chuck Thorne outlining their use of the loophole. Thorne said it marked the first time in his seven years that city leaders invoked the municipal law.

Council member John Ferarri, a Democrat, is the third member of the public service and utilities committee reviewing the options, and co-sponsored the "Rush Street" resolution with Kosiur.

Riggi said he worries the road-naming issue represents a much larger problem — that the casino operators appear to have control of many government decisions — including the naming of what will be a city-owned street.

"They have to have everything their way. It's almost like dealing with a spoiled child," Riggi said. "That shows money can buy you what you want."

But Kosiur said it's important to pay homage to a company that is bringing millions of dollars to Schenectady's coffers — noting $3.5 million the city will receive as part of the casino's licensing fee. Kosiur said when he was previously a council member in 2002, the rarely invoked municipal law was used to get other legislation passed.

"For us to be arguing over the naming of a street, for Rush Street, is just trivial," Kosiur said. "We have to move on."

Kosiur said he and other council members reached out to Schenectady County legislators, who have agreed to name a new bike path at the casino site for American Locomotive. Galesi Group has been cleaning up the long-contaminated site, which was also used by General Electric Co. for 30 years, as part of the state Brownfield tax credits program.

Two other streets inside the casino development, which includes two hotels and a parking garage, are proposed to be named "Harborside Drive" and "Mohawk Harbor Way."

Last month, Rush Street CEO Greg Carlin sent a letter to City Council members defending the name, saying it's inspired by a wealthy street in Chicago, from where Carlin's company gets its name.

"I don't think two people should block the majority of the council from being able to vote on something," said City Council President Leesa Perazzo, a Democrat.

Lauren Stanforth contributed reporting.pnelson@timesunion.com • 518-454-5347 • @apaulnelson