No Eastie Casino

From the East Boston Times Free Press:

heard in East Boston neighborhoods
By Joshua Resnek
Wednesday (May 16) at Sacred Heart Church from 8
... p.m. – 9 p.m.

The No Eastie Casino committee will be having an open house meeting.
All are welcome.

Organizers say there is an abundance of things to discuss and that nearly all of it relates to their
belief that East Boston does not need a casino.
 
Anti-casino forces in East Boston have been buoyed by the demise last week of the Kraft/Wynn casino proposal in Foxboro. The defeat the two billionaires suffered at the hands of Foxboro’s voters has resonated with anti-casino forces who believe the same thing can be done here.

Anti-casino forces here are being orchestrated by John Ribeiro and his sister, Celeste Myers. She heads the No Eastie Casino group. However John Ribeiro is the best known of the anti-casino forces.

He says stopping a casino in East Boston not only can be done but will be done. “We’re definitely encouraged by the results in Foxboro,” said Ribeiro. We definitely believe we can defeat the casino referendum in Eastie and Revere.” Ribeiro said anti-casino forces are running their effort like a political campaign.

“We’ve got voter information and we’ll soon be knocking on doors getting out the anti-casino message. You’re going to see us out on the streets just like any other campaign,” he added.

He said there are many East Boston residents who feel beholden to their elected public officials who are, to a person, in favor of a casino here as a jobs and stimulus development with predicted major infrastructure plans.

“They appear beholden to the officials but they are not beholden when it comes to this issue. This is a quality of life issue. This is an opportunity to keep East Boston going in the direction its been heading. There’s many good things happening here and a casino would set us back,” Ribeiro said.

He said the small business community will be hurt immediately and the most if a casino opens at Suffolk Downs.“Small businesses get hurt early and often,” he said.

Over the next week he said his group will officially register with the city. “We have a campaign committee and we’ve got people willing to make donations,” said Ribeiro.

He indicated that No Eastie Casino has several hundred e-mail recipients which represents the group’s core of followers. “I expect that to grow.” he said.

“I’m also working to put this on the ballot for 2014,” he added. He indicated the belief that the newly formed gambling Commission is moving so slowly that there will be plenty of time to run a statewide referendum if he wanted.

Giordana Mecagni, a Trenton Street resident for the past 7 years, says she loves what she found in East Boston. She considers it a cool place with a lot of cool people. She is avidly anti-casino because she said she believes a casino will add nothing to the neighborhood.

“I have not heard much pro-casino. I haven’t heard anyone real positive about a casino in East Boston because of potential of crime. It is going to effect East Boston in a negative way. Former Mayor Ray Flynn said he wouldn’t vote for it because of devastating effects of problem gambling.
I agree,” said Mecagni, an archivist at Harvard Medical School and the mother of a 2 year old girl.

“Eastie can do better. Suffolk Downs is T accessible land. We need to build a technology park there. That type of business would benefit the community – and small businesses wouldn’t be put out of business by a technology park,” she added. She said nothing could persuade her that a casino could be useful or beneficial to the community ergo, her membership in No Eastie Casino.

“I haven’t met anyone in person who thinks it’s a good idea – except for the mayor a nd our elected representatives,” she added.

“I’ve done some talking back and forth here. Some people like to gamble. Those people are interested in a casino.”

She believes Eastie is interesting and dynamic – a totally different place. “Hopefully people who are not interested in having this in their neighborhood will come out and vote that way,” she said.

Suffolk President Chip Tuttle said he understands the No Eastie Casino movement and that he is respectful of it.

“We're realistic that not everyone will be supportive of our proposed development and respectful of opposing points of view. At the same time, we have been in an on-going, evolving dialogue with our neighbors in East Boston, Revere and the surrounding communities on how we maximize the economic benefits -- jobs, road and infrastructure improvements and opportunities for local businesses – and how we earn their support. We are hopeful that people keep an open mind as we work through this process."