No sign of end to escalating Foxboro casino fight

No sign of end to escalating Foxboro casino fight
By Chris Cassidy

Lawn sign-swiping prowlers are on the loose in Foxboro — one man has even reported his car egged — as the small-town battle over a proposed casino now hinges on a meeting next week, where town officials could vote to snub Patriots [team stats] owner Robert Kraft and Vegas billionaire Steve Wynn.

“Right now, it’s been a lot of yelling and screaming. Anti-casino groups are forming. There are people appearing out of nowhere with pro-casino signs. So it’s a tangled mess at this point,” said John Gray, chairman of an 11-member town advisory board that unanimously urged selectmen to cancel a townwide meeting with Kraft and Wynn next month and instead hold a ballot referendum on casino gambling.

Selectmen are expected to consider the plan Tuesday night.

Meanwhile, Foxboro police reported between six and 12 cases of anti-casino sign stealing in the past week. One man believes his car was egged in retaliation for publicly panning the casino plan, police said.

“We don’t have any particular suspect, but we don’t think it’s just a random teenager,” said Foxboro police Chief Edward O’Leary of the suburban thievery. “Until we as a community work out where we’re going, probably this small type of issue will continue to grow.”

Resident Toni Barges, whose signs have vanished two mornings in a row, remained undeterred.

“It’s not going to stop me, I’ll tell ya,” she said. “I have six left. I’ll go get more if I have to. ... As long as they don’t break my windows, I’ll be OK.”