Residents on both sides berate Foxboro pols

Residents on both sides berate Foxboro pols
By Chris Cassidy

A packed house of divided Foxboro residents wrangled over a casino proposal from Patriots [team stats] owner Robert Kraft and Vegas mogul Steve Wynn last night. Some were worried about crime and losing the character of their town while others praised the thousands of jobs promised and urged selectmen to at least hear the sales pitch.

Selectmen were expected to consider a recommendation from the town’s advisory committee to have residents vote on a casino before a town forum with Kraft and Wynn.

But former Foxboro Selectman Paul Mortenson said the people have already spoken — several town boards have already said no to gambling.

“That’s democracy,” said Mortenson, who worried the town would be no match for the Wynn/Kraft legal and public relations machine.

The meeting nearly erupted into chaos when 82-year-old Helen Merigan refused to leave the podium after Chairman Larry Harrington tried to end a lengthy public comments section.

Harrington summoned the police chief to remove the senior but eventually relented and let her speak. Merigan then compared Wynn and Kraft to “great white sharks” circling Foxboro.

Local physician David Egilman predicted the casino would be “good for my business” because it would lead to an influx of patients with STDs, gambling addiction and alcoholism.

Before the meeting, a few dozen casino supporters, including several union carpenters, held signs outside the high school and touted the jobs a resort would bring.