Marissa Solomon Did What Justin Brannan Couldn’t Do – She Represented Coney Island
Community Advisory Committee
Today was the initial meeting for the Community Advisory Committee for The NYS Gaming Commission for the Coney Casino’s application. The meeting was held at Kingsborough Community College.
Facilitators led the meeting and provided guidance throughout the session.
The meeting began with an overview of the committee members, an explanation of their responsibilities, and a discussion of a timeline for future community meetings.
A volunteer was needed to serve as chair of the advisory committee. Councilman Justin Brannan quickly volunteered. The rest of the committee voted to confirm him in that role.
After procedural matters were handled, representatives from The Coney presented their casino proposal.
They emphasized Coney Island’s high unemployment rate and claimed that the casino would create thousands of jobs. However, later on during the Q&A portion of the meeting, committee member Marissa Solomon challenged this claim, citing data from the casino’s own reports. She noted that fewer than 200 of the proposed jobs were expected to go to Coney Island residents.
The Coney representatives didn’t seem to understand the existing traffic problem in Coney Island. Marisa Solomon asked the Coney reps how they would handle the traffic from casino visitors. The casino reps said that they will rely on public transit and shuttles. They will give incentives, like free Metrocards and free play for subway and bus riders. People aren’t going to want to travel by train to get to the casino!
The casino’s presentation also mentioned alternative transportation options like CitiBike stations and ferry access—despite there being no ferry service to Coney Island currently:
The casino representatives seemed overwhelmed by Marissa Solomon’s questions. These were questions that Councilman Justin Brannan should have been asking on behalf of the community. Instead, he remained largely silent, unshaven, and disengaged—looking around the room rather than addressing critical issues such as the lack of racial and leadership diversity among the developers.
Journalist, Jess Marquez wrote about Marissa Solomon’s questioning at the meeting. He called it: “The Wrath of Solomon.”
Another strong voice came from Alex Somer, who represented Mayor Eric Adams. After reviewing the casino’s design plans, Somer noted that while some retail space was included, the proposal failed to incorporate Coney Island’s iconic aesthetic—its historic amusement park style and local flair were entirely absent.
See article here: https://igamingbusiness.com/legal-compliance/licensing/coney-casino-bid-new-york-community-committee-pushback/
The Committee will set up at least two public hearings for the community to give input. By September 30, 2025, the committee must vote if they want a casino in Coney Island. Four out of the six members of the advisory committee must vote in favor of the casino in order for it to pass.
You can watch the meeting:
It was disappointing that Councilman Justin Brannan didn’t appoint Dr. Mathylde Frontus, a lifelong Coney Island resident to the committee. Justin Brannan was lobbied by The Coney and he should have stepped back. During his Comptroller election this money was uncovered by City and State: https://www.cityandstateny.com/politics/2025/05/new-pro-brannan-ie-has-ties-coney-island-casino-proposal-former-gop-candidate/405436/
Maybe the committee doesn’t know know about the SuperPac called the Verrazzano Victory that Andrew Gounardes and The Coney were in to get Brannan elected. See Line 3 and Line 6 for the casino lobbyist here:
https://www.nyccfb.info/ftmsearch/IndependentSpenders/Contributions?ec=2023&rt=ind&indId=Z182
Hugs,
marlene
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