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A crowd of about 200 listened intently to speakers at Wednesday night's public forum sponsored by anti-casino group Preserve Taunton's Future.
Talk of mall sale circulates at anti-casino forum
Possible Galleria sale pops up at close Wednesday night public hearing
Taunton —
A familiar refrain, or rumor, was heard Wednesday night at the well-attended anti-casino forum in the Taunton Holiday Inn.
After more than two hours of speeches criticizing the $500 million East Taunton “resort casino” being pitched by the Mashpee Wampanoag Indian tribe, a member of the audience asked if anyone could confirm that the Silver City Galleria mall is about to be sold again.
“It’s under a tentative agreement,” said Taunton City Councilman Donald Cleary, who with other local officials was seated on stage of the large conference room.
Cleary slightly modified that description later in the evening by saying he’s heard since last week that the mall’s owner has had “tentative discussions” with a prospective buyer.
Cleary, however, stressed there’s no indication that the tribe is in fact the suitor.
Brooke Scannell, spokeswoman for the Wampanoag tribe, affirmed that statement, saying, “the tribe is not involved in any transaction for the mall.”
Scannell in April, however, issued a message from the tribe’s chairman, Cedric Cromwell, that the Wampanoags had not ruled out the possibility of eventually purchasing the mall and its real estate.
But Crowmwell also, at the time, reiterated his intention of building the casino on land for which he and his backers have an option to buy within nearby Liberty & Unions Industrial Park.
The Galleria, which has at least two-dozen store vacancies, was sold last November to an Irving, Texas, real estate investment firm.
Guest speakers at Wednesday’s public forum included Frank Dunphey, president of CasinoFacts.org, a Middleboro-based group that has compiled research about the impact on host communities of Indian casinos.
“The writing’s on the wall,” Dunphey said in terms of construction and permanent jobs being promised by the tribe.
Dunphey told the crowd that he’s convinced the Wampanoag tribe and its Malaysian financial backer will eventually dole out a majority of jobs to non-Taunton residents.
He also said that the tribe’s assertion that most casino workers will earn at least $35,000 annually is unrealistic; Dunphey said government statistics show that just under $10 per hour is more realistic.
Former Middleboro selectman Adam Bond said Taunton should take a cue from the failed proposal by the Mashpee tribe to build a casino in that town.
Bond, a lawyer, was critical of a pending intergovernmental agreement between the tribe and city that would allow the tribe to use its credit to fund infrastructure improvements, via a low-interest revenue bond arranged and provided by Taunton or a state agency.
Bond also charged that the 2.05 percent of net slot machine revenue promised annually to the city is bound to fall short of the minimum $8 million figure being promised.
Gambling addiction was also addressed by a representative of the Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling, who warned that casinos inevitably breed addiction, which in turn can destroy gamblers and their families.
Besides Cleary, local elected officials in attendance included state Rep. Keiko Orrall, R-Lakeville, and councilors David Pottier and John McCaul.
The forum was hosted by a grassroots group called Preserve Taunton’s Future.
After more than two hours of speeches criticizing the $500 million East Taunton “resort casino” being pitched by the Mashpee Wampanoag Indian tribe, a member of the audience asked if anyone could confirm that the Silver City Galleria mall is about to be sold again.
“It’s under a tentative agreement,” said Taunton City Councilman Donald Cleary, who with other local officials was seated on stage of the large conference room.
Cleary slightly modified that description later in the evening by saying he’s heard since last week that the mall’s owner has had “tentative discussions” with a prospective buyer.
Cleary, however, stressed there’s no indication that the tribe is in fact the suitor.
Brooke Scannell, spokeswoman for the Wampanoag tribe, affirmed that statement, saying, “the tribe is not involved in any transaction for the mall.”
Scannell in April, however, issued a message from the tribe’s chairman, Cedric Cromwell, that the Wampanoags had not ruled out the possibility of eventually purchasing the mall and its real estate.
But Crowmwell also, at the time, reiterated his intention of building the casino on land for which he and his backers have an option to buy within nearby Liberty & Unions Industrial Park.
The Galleria, which has at least two-dozen store vacancies, was sold last November to an Irving, Texas, real estate investment firm.
Guest speakers at Wednesday’s public forum included Frank Dunphey, president of CasinoFacts.org, a Middleboro-based group that has compiled research about the impact on host communities of Indian casinos.
“The writing’s on the wall,” Dunphey said in terms of construction and permanent jobs being promised by the tribe.
Dunphey told the crowd that he’s convinced the Wampanoag tribe and its Malaysian financial backer will eventually dole out a majority of jobs to non-Taunton residents.
He also said that the tribe’s assertion that most casino workers will earn at least $35,000 annually is unrealistic; Dunphey said government statistics show that just under $10 per hour is more realistic.
Former Middleboro selectman Adam Bond said Taunton should take a cue from the failed proposal by the Mashpee tribe to build a casino in that town.
Bond, a lawyer, was critical of a pending intergovernmental agreement between the tribe and city that would allow the tribe to use its credit to fund infrastructure improvements, via a low-interest revenue bond arranged and provided by Taunton or a state agency.
Bond also charged that the 2.05 percent of net slot machine revenue promised annually to the city is bound to fall short of the minimum $8 million figure being promised.
Gambling addiction was also addressed by a representative of the Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling, who warned that casinos inevitably breed addiction, which in turn can destroy gamblers and their families.
Besides Cleary, local elected officials in attendance included state Rep. Keiko Orrall, R-Lakeville, and councilors David Pottier and John McCaul.
The forum was hosted by a grassroots group called Preserve Taunton’s Future.
Read more: http://www.tauntongazette.com/news/x624601477/Anti-casino-forum-presents-downside-of-tribe-proposal-in-Taunton#ixzz1voe60enA
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