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I really enjoyed Joye Brown’s column regarding Suffolk Regional Off-Track Betting [“It’s business as usual at Suffolk OTB,” News column, Nov. 22]. I smiled at her humor, and if it were not such a sad state of affairs, I would have had a real belly laugh.
The purpose of public benefit corporations such as Suffolk OTB is to make money so the proceeds can be used for public purposes. Some purposes include providing battered women and children with a safe place, assistance to young children addicted to drugs and alcohol, or senior care.
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As Brown pointed out, OTB has been bankrupt for years. So it appears that while its ostensible reason for existence is to assist with the budget, the actual mission has turned into draining cash and keeping a couple of hundred employees in paychecks, including vice president Anthony Pancella III and president Phil Nolan, who have employment contracts through 2020.
I would love to know whether their contracts supersede the terms of the bankruptcy.
Salvatore Algeri, Holbrook