Modern Schenectady's "renaissance" is a farce. Founded as a small trading village , the city saw a boom with truly innovative industries during its five-decade heyday stretching roughly between 1890 to 1940. American Locomotive Company and General Electric were true industries. We influenced innovation in a variety of fields across the country and even around the world because we actually manufactured. Immigrants from across the globe were attracted to the healthy middle class that flourished during this time.

Small industrial cities like Schenectady saw big industry leave, and this signaled the end of their golden eras. Layoffs starting in the 1950s put the city of Schenectady in dire straits. We have witnessed massive socioeconomic displacement and drastic population decline.

What Schenectady is experiencing is not a "renaissance" at all; rather it is nothing more than a facade. Schenectady is not "coming back" because of a casino. Nothing has been done to help the middle class. We need to create a healthy market for real industry like ALCO and GE, and the restaurants will follow without government intervention. Until we face the reality of the economics of the situation, we will never "bring Schenectady back" but rather we will bring it to the table of degenerate gambling.

Peter Caschera

Schenectady