Gov. Patrick Considers Casino Referendum
On October 5th, 2007, 73 year-old Mary O'Neill applauded Governor Deval Patrick's decision to require that state-licensed casino facilities be voted upon in the communities where they would be constructed.
O'Neill commented that she was disappointed in July when she was not able to participate in a Town Meeting organized by the leaders of Middleborough, the meeting where voters allowed the casino plan.
O'Neill said that she did not attend the meeting because she is afraid that she could not take the heat. Daniel O'Connell, Gov. Patrick's secretary of housing and economic development said that the local referendum would be included in the rough draft of the casino laws expected to be passed to the legislature next week.
Gov. Patrick has proposed allowing three casinos in Massachusetts, one in Boston, Southeastern Massachusetts and Western Massachusetts. Gov. Patrick said that it would produce $2 billion for the economy and create 20,000 jobs. But Gov. Patrick said that the draft is still subject to some modification.
Aside from the mixed decisions coming from the state officials, the concept was enough to cause a debate in Middleborough on whether the town would have to review the Mashpee casino issue. The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe is on track to build a casino through a federal approval needed for Indian tribe casinos. It is a more complicated route but it would allow the Mashpee tribe to get around Gov. Patrick's licensing plan. It will just take a long while.
Tribal officials said that they are interested in bidding for one of the casino licenses planned by Gov. Patrick so a referendum could be important. The tribe added that the support that they have garnered from the community may be enough for Gov. Patrick. Mashpee spokesperson Scott Ferson said that they think that Gov. Patrick is looking for the same approval in other areas like what happened in Middleborough.
Selectman Adam Bond, who helped closed the casino deal said that he was a little bit puzzled about the referendum requirement. The president of the anti-casino organization Casinofacts, welcomed the referendum.
10/28/2007 04:46 PM
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