Play Meter

City officials turned operators defeat city ordinances
Nowhere has the battle to keep
arcades from opening within a city
been more adamantly fought than in
Union City, N ew Jersey. Twice city
officials had developed ordinances to
regulate the machines and both
times the ordinances have been
ill -fated .
The result is that two new arcades
offering a total of fifty machines will
soon be open in Union City, and
their owners are - interestingly
enough - city officials .
Juvenile Bureau D etective Jamie
Macias and Firefighter Eugene
LaMastro will open T A Spanish
Arcade at 4512 Bergenline A venue
and M acias will also be part owner of
the other Union City arcade, Arcade
America, to open at 811 Summit
A venue .
The first ordinance intended to
prohibit arcades in Union City was
set up in July. It was shot down in
O ctober when Hudson County
Superior Court Judge Richard
Connors overturned the declaration
limiting establishments to three
machines. Th e judge ordered the
city to issue licenses to the two
arcades mentioned above and a third
which opened several weeks ago .
Original partners in the applica -
tion for the Summit Avenue site
included Police Sergeants Harry
Calandrillo and Paul Hanak, School
Trustee M ario Delu c a , and
Attorney John Esposito. Those four ,
along with City Prosecutor Thomas
DeCiemente , have filed an applica-
tion in nearby West N ew York .
In attempting to deny the applica -
tions in face of Judge Conners '
ruling, Public Safety Commissioner
Arthur Wichert cited an existing
moratorium on pending arcade
applications . The moratorium was to
be in effect while the city waits for a
new ordinance regulating the
machines.
When Wichert was threatened
with contempt of court charges by
Connors, he promptly issued the
licenses February 11.
Then , on February 18, the city
commissioners came up with
another ordinance . The ordinance
•
defines what the city interprets as an
arcade and offers a fee schedule.
Establishments with up to three
machines will pay an annual fee of
$200 per game. Those with more
than three games will pay $400 a year
per machine .
Th e ordinance itself is a n
admission of defeat on the part of the
city 's commissioners who , according
to Commissioner Robert Botti, are
"all against having arcades in the
city .
" Whether we like them or not,"
said Botti , "we have to operate
within the law. W e had a pinball ordi-
nance and we tried to use it to block
the opening of arcades ... The ordi-
nance (was) declared invalid by a
su p erior court judge ... W e are
appealing that decision, but the
chances of winning the appeal are
slim.
" The alternate is to adopt an ordi-
nance that stands a c hance of being
successful ly defended in cou r t.
There is no way we can have any
control over arcades without some
form of ordinance ."
•
#1 1n Pac-Man Sales 1n 1981
ANYONE CAN MAKE PROMISES .
THE PROOF IS WHO CAN DELIVER.
In 1981 , lot s of p op l made lot s of
of promi ses about timely d li veries on hit
ga m es- lik e Midway ' Pa c-Ma n . But if
you ' r tops in sa l , that indi at you not
o nl y made prom sies but yo u k pt th m-
by d e liv e rin g thos hit ga m es-o n t im e.
But our custo m e rs have com
from us beca use ...
to expect it
WE ' RE THE CAME EXPERTS
C.A. ROBINSON & CO.
2891 W. Pica Bivd. • Los Angeles, CA 90006
(213) 735-3001
PLAY METER , April1 , 1982
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