western regional off-track betting

Byron Brown had no involvement at all in Steve Casey landing a part-time marketing job at Batavia Downs, said Henry Wojtaszek on Wednesday night.

Wojtaszek is the outgoing president and CEO of the Western Regional Off-Track Betting Corp., and Brown, a former five-term mayor of Buffalo, is his successor.

Steve Casey, until 2015, was Brown's deputy mayor.

Multiple media outlets in Erie County and Genesee County reported over the past few days that Brown either hired Casey or implied that Brown was involved in the decision to give Casey a job.

Both Wojtaszek and Brown provided information that contradict those reports.

"I had no influence in hiring Steve Casey at all," Brown told a gaggle of reporters outside a closed committee meeting at Batavia Downs on Wednesday.

Wojtaszek said that while he's not friends with Casey, they've known each other for several years. In May, Wojtaszek said, Casey asked about a job, saying he wanted to get back into the state retirement system. After going through the application process for the job, Casey applied for a state gaming license and received his license about a week later, Wojtaszek said. He started work in late July or early August. Casey received his harness racing license in August.

In late July, the OTB board voted to negotiate a buyout of Wojtaszek's employment contract and announced the formation of an executive search committee.

Board Chairman Dennis Bassett refused to share the names of candidates with reporters throughout the search process, even while there was speculation that Brown was a candidate. Brown said he didn't even consider applying for the job until he learned of Wojtaszek's eventual departure (Wojtaszek's last day is Dec. 31).

Wojtaszek told The Batavian that Bassett even kept the names of candidates from him. He didn't know Brown was a candidate until Brown's name was brought to the board in September for a vote.

Media reports suggest Casey is a controversial hire. In 2015, the FBI launched a five-year investigation into an allegation that he stole funds from one of his political consultant candidates, Charles Swanick. The result of the investigation? A conviction for wire fraud with no jail time and no probation. He was ordered to pay a $69 fine and fork over $8,283.59 in restitution. The crux of the dispute, according to a report by WGRZ: Swanick thought Casey had agreed to work for free.

Asked about the conviction on Wednesday, Brown defended Casey's employment at Batavia Downs.

"When you look at Steve Casey's actual record, he has no record, so there is no prohibition to him being able to work here, as I understand it," Brown said. "He was hired prior to me being hired, and he has a gaming license, which I understand he got before me getting one."

Pressed to discuss the conviction, Brown said the issue is more complex than sound bites can convey.

"Again, I'm not going to go into those details in a sound-bite fashion," Brown said. "It would be unfair to that individual. There's a lot more to it than that. I don't think it would be fair for me to try to discuss in, you know, a 20-second soundbite." 

For those questioning whether Wojtaszek, a Republican, would hire Casey, a Democrat, Wojtaszek said party affiliation is not part of the hiring process.

"Honestly, I can tell you this -- I mean, I know Steve is kind of a high-profile guy -- but I have no idea what the political affiliation is of the people we hire," Wojtaszek said. "I have no idea."

He said that outside of one staff member Wojtaszek has known for years, he never talks politics with his staff.  

"I have no idea what they're registered," he added. "I believe that this organization is not a political organization. That's why I love Dennis (Bassett). He's like, 'I'm a Democrat. That's my ideology. But when I come here, we don't, we don't discuss that.' He says, 'I know where you come from. You know where I come from, but let's work through this thing.'"

Brown told reporters on Wednesday that he has no idea what future position Casey might hold at Batavia Downs. There was no promotion or switch to full-time proposal before the board at Wednesdays meeting.

"As I move forward, I would certainly consider him for a position," Brown said.

Previously: Reports of Byron Brown hiring former staffer are incorrect

Expanding the Batavia Downs Hotel seems like a good idea to Byron Brown, who discussed the idea in his first board meeting on Wednesday since starting his new position as president and CEO of Western Regional Off-Track Betting.

"The board has started looking at expanding the hotel, certainly predating me," said Brown. "I have been in a number of briefings on the hotel; there are several outside consultants and expert entities who have been hired to help the board evaluate the potential of expanding the hotel. From what I have been able to see and review, it looks like it makes sense to me."

Brown did not disclose any specifics on the proposals the board is reviewing. Wednesday's discussion took place behind closed doors. Brown said the expansion would take place on the current Batavia Downs property. The board has not discussed purchasing additional property he said.

"A lot of questions came up in the executive session that the board went into to discuss the hotel," Brown said. "I thought the questions were right on target, and I think the board will make a sound decision about whether to expand the hotel or not to expand the hotel."

After Kmart closed in 2018, WROTB attempted to purchase the property but lost out to Benderson Development. While Benderson built space and leased it to three franchise operations, the main Kmart building remains vacant. Brown said he has not heard any talk of WROTB attempting again to purchase the property.

The 84-room luxury hotel opened in 2016. It was originally constructed and operated by ADK Hospitality, a Buffalo-based company. It costs ADK $5.4 million to build the hotel. The OTB purchased the hotel in 2021 for $8 million.

The purchase, Brown said, "has led to this corporation becoming a lot more profitable. So purchasing the hotel in the first place was a very good decision. From my perspective, just being able to evaluate this during the week that I've been here, I think expanding would be a good decision as well. But again, I don't want to try to speak for the board."