Photo by Howard Owens
Shortly after the board of directors for the Western Regional Off-Track Betting Corp. approved Steve Casey as the first chief of staff at Batavia Downs on Thursday, his new boss, Byron Brown, reiterated that he had no involvement with Casey getting a job in marketing before Brown was named the new president and CEO of the corporation.
"I did not know he applied for a gaming license," Brown told a gaggle of reporters after Thursday's board meeting. "I did not know he was hired at Batavia Downs prior to me applying for the position.”
Casey's new position was created by an executive reorganization based on recommendations from consultants at True North. The board on Thursday approved a payment of $30,000 to True North for their consulting work.
Based on those recommendations, the board created a new executive organization with the following job titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- Chief Administrative Officer/Chief of Staff
- Chief Operating Officer
- Chief Financial Officer
- Vice-President of Operations
- Vice-President of Business Development
- Vice-President of Human Resources
- Executive Office Manager
- Director of Communications
- Executive Business Administrator
The board eliminated the following job titles:
- Director of Marketing
- Director of Human Resources
- Executive Chef
In addition to Brown as CEO and Casey as Chief of Staff, Ryan Hasenaurer was promoted from marketing director to vice president of business development. Danielle
Fleming was named VP of Human Resources. Michael J. DeGeorge, who handled communications in the office of Mayor Byron Brown, was named director of communications at a salary of $130,000.
Photo by Howard Owens
Brown said that based on the reorganization plan, he recommended Casey and DeGeorge for their new positions, which the board approved. Erie County's representative on the board, Timothy Callan, voted against the reorganization measures.
A number of media outlets have mistakenly reported that Brown hired Casey. On Wednesday, outgoing CEO Henry Wojtaszek told The Batavian he hired Casey not long after Casey first contacted him about a job back in May, months before there was an announced plan to replace Wojtaszek. Wojtaszek told Casey he would need to get a gaming license, which he did. Casey started working in marketing at Batavia Downs before the board hired Brown to replace Wojtaszek.
In an exclusive interview with The Batavian on Thursday, Casey confirmed that series of events with some additional details.
At 58, Casey said he started thinking about his retirement and that perhaps he should try to get back into the state's retirement system. While he's never been close with Wojtaszek, he's known him cordially for years, so in May, he decided to give Wojtaszek a call.
Casey said, "I'm thinking, 'Okay, it might be time to get back in. Where would I like to do that?' I think you saw a bit of chaos in Erie County. So I'm thinking, 'Where would a good spot be to go?' I knew Henry. We weren't close, but Henry and I, over the years, crossed paths, and I know him pretty well, so I reached out to Henry. 'Hey, any openings? I'd like to get back in the pension system.'"
Getting a gaming license normally takes weeks. Casey's was approved in about a week. Casey wasn't ready to start that soon so he didn't start working at the casino until September.
One of the issues Erie County reporters have raised regarding Casey is a wire fraud conviction against his former consulting company, LSS Strategies, in 2021. That came after a five-year FBI investigation that resulted in a $69 fine.
"That application was the most comprehensive document I've ever seen," Casey said. "I literally sat with my attorney, and together, we went through it, answering all the questions, disclosed everything we possibly could so they could then make a decision. And fortunately, they came back and said, there's nothing there.”
Casey said the Gaming Commission was "100% fully informed."
"The most important factor was Steve Casey, as an individual, I don't have a point on my driver's license. I don't have a misdemeanor. I don't have a felony. There's nothing against me as an individual,” he said.
Casey said he didn't learn that Brown was a potential candidate for the job until August or September.
"I've kept in touch with the mayor over the years since I left city government, but when I first came here, it was not based on whether the mayor would come here," Casey said. "He was still in the middle of his budget stuff in May. You're looking at April, May, June. So, my coming here solely had to do with me looking at opportunities for my pension and getting back into government."
Casey is excited, he said, to take on his new role at the OTB and is already impressed by the quality of the people he will be working with.
"I can tell you, I started at the bottom level here," Casey said. "I was seeing everybody on the floor, talking to all the employees here. They didn't know who I was. They didn't know my background. Extremely professional, incredible staff, very talented.
I'll tell you one specific example," Casey added. "The CFO here. I've worked in Albany, in Albany for nine years and in government for 24 years. I've seen some of the best budget directors you've ever seen, from the speaker's budget director to the governor's budget director. Jackie Leach is by far one of the single most talented CFOs I've ever seen. She knows everything about this place, the institutional knowledge, and her ability to do what she does here. I mean, it's a top-notch staff, and I'm looking forward to working with such a talented staff."
Previously: Information provided by OTB leaders contradicts widely reported accounts of staff hiring at Batavia Downs
Photo by Howard Owens.
