Foxborough: How much will it cost?

The Wynn/Kraft machine has gone into overdrive to cram their Folly down the throats of vocal oppopnents.

Tossing out unsubstantiated numbers, who is asking what the costs will be?

Public safety - police, fire and ambulance - are significantly impacted.

Free Alcohol increases DRUNK DRIVERS - a given elsewhere.

Additional traffic increases accidents (and residents' insuruance costs).

Where will those low wage workers live? Where will the children of those low wage workers attend school? Will they affect ESL costs as they have in Connecticut?

What will the burden of increased crime cost local departments since Gambling Addiction escalates within a 50 mile radius?

This is a page from the Casino Playbook!


Advocates: It pays to have a casino
BY RICK FOSTER SUN CHRONICLE STAFF

Kraft Group estimate: 'Minimum of $10M' in annual tax revenues
FOXBORO - An estimate that a proposed billion-dollar resort casino complex could generate $10 million in annual tax revenues is fetching mixed reactions amid calls for a non-binding referendum on the casino question.

Dan Krantz, the Kraft Group director of site development, said in a statement that the project proposed by Las Vegas casino and hotel titan Steve Wynn has the potential to generate "a minimum of $10 million annually" in tax revenue that could be used toward schools and services or to lower property taxes.

The resort would be built on land currently owned by Kraft.

Krantz said the estimate is part of the response to requests for more details regarding the casino proposal.

"We have been consistently asked by town officials to bring specific - not abstract - proposals forward so that the town can exercise its traditional process for vetting them," he said. "That is precisely what we are trying to do with this opportunity." The $10 million figure does not include other potential streams of revenue such as personal property and meals taxes.

The Wynn proposal, which would also include hotels, restaurants and entertainment facilities, has ignited a storm of controversy and comments both for and against.

Selectman Chairman Lawrence Harrington said that based on information that has been presented so far the $10 million estimate appears to be "in the ballpark."

However he said he feels that is a conservative figure and that the town's share of additional meals tax revenues and property taxes on equipment could add significantly to that amount.

However Michael Widmer, president of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, said it would be hard to verify the project's tax benefits without more specific information about the proposal.

Casino opponents say money that would come from property development related to the casino is only one aspect of the proposal and that the project would bring about radical changes in the town. Fears raised by some critical of the project include the prospect of additional crime, traffic and town increased town expenditures needed for public safety protection. "It all sounds wonderful when you listen to these dazzling promises," said Stephanie Crimmins, a casino opposition leader. "But if this goes through what is really left of the character of the town? It would cause fundamental changes to what we love about Foxboro."

Selectman James DeVellis said any estimates of potential benefits are "speculative" so soon after the passage of state legislation last month authorizing casino gambling.

"The ink on the legislation is still wet and nobody should be offering or accepting any figures as fact in good conscience," he said.

The town's tax rate is currently $13.73 per $1,000 of assessed valuation for residences and $14.86 per $1,000 for commercial. At the higher commercial rate the annual tax on $1 billion worth of real estate would be $14.86 million.

But experts note that the construction cost of commercial property is not necessarily the same as its assessed value used to calculate tax bills.

Additional details about the casino are expected at a Jan. 10 meeting where selectmen will allow Wynn to lay out a more detailed plan. However some residents and town officials want to hold a plebiscite before any presentation to gauge support or opposition.

The Advisory Committee voted 11-0 Wednesday to ask selectmen to reconsider the date for the presentation in order to schedule a non-binding referendum.

Selectman Mark Sullivan says he supports the idea of a vote.

"I'm more concerned with what the town wants than any revenue stream," said Sullivan.

Harrington said he's not opposed to a referendum but that Wynn's presentation should come first to allow additional information to come forward.

"Within a short time after the presentation I'd be in favor of a ballot question," he said.


Ads put out by Wynn consultants
BY MATT KAKLEY SUN CHRONICLE STAFF

FOXBORO - Full-page advertisements supporting a proposed Route 1 casino, taken out in Thursday's edition of The Sun Chronicle and its sister publication, The Foxboro Reporter, were paid for by a Boston-based political consulting firm hired by the casino developer pushing the project.

Frank Perullo, principal and owner of Sage Systems, paid for the ads, which carried the name "Jobs for Foxboro" and urged residents to wait for design and economic details before making up their minds of the hot-button issue.

In a statement, Wynn Resorts acknowledged hiring Sage Systems to help with the communication effort in Foxboro.

"Sage Systems is working with local residents who are interested in supporting Wynn in Foxboro, by providing them fact-based information about the destination resort project," the statement said.

It was just two weeks ago today that news broke of a proposed resort casino venture, to be developed by casino magnate Steve Wynn on land leased from New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft. In the advertisements, Jobs for Foxboro lists a Foxboro post office box and names Dan Flynn, a union carpenter who lives in town, as chairman.

The group staged a rally prior to Tuesday's Foxboro selectmen meeting, drawing around 100 casino supporters, many of who were union construction workers who said the jobs are desperately needed in the area.

Employees of Sage Systems were on hand at Tuesday's rally, handing out signs and other materials to people entering the meeting.

Jobs for Foxboro registered accounts on Twitter and Facebook on Sunday, but its website, www.jobsforfoxboro.com, remained under construction Thursday.

By Thursday afternoon, Jobs for Foxboro had not registered as a political action committee with either the town or state.

A request for comment from Perullo was not immediately returned and a phone listing for Flynn could not be found. According to its website, Sage Systems was founded in 2002 and offers a host of services for political campaigns, including consulting and technical services, website design and data analysis.

Among its clients, the company lists U.S. Sen. John Kerry, U.S. Reps. Jim McGovern, D-Worcester, and Michael Capuano, D-Somerville, Gov. Deval Patrick, state Senate President Therese Murray, the Massachusetts Democratic Party, and governors and political parties across the country.

Among local campaigns, Sage Systems worked on Leland Cheung's successful re-election bid for the Cambridge City Council, as well as former Boston City Councilor Michael Flaherty's unsuccessful attempt to get back on that board.

The company has also designed websites for candidates, including Boston City Councilor Michael Ross and state Rep. Aaron Michlewitz.

Since it became public, the casino issue has stirred up controversy among residents in town, with groups in favor and against the project holding rallies in town.

Selectmen have scheduled a public forum on the issue for Jan. 10 at Foxboro High School.