Lakeville votes against Aquinnah casino proposal
06/02/2012 6:33 PM
Lakeville residents voted overwhelmingly Saturday against a tribal casino proposed by the Wampanoag tribe of Aquinnah.
The vote in the non-binding referendum was 1,735 against the plan, and 172 in favor, according to figures from the Town Clerk’s Office, with about one-quarter of registered voters going to the polls.
The casino would sit on about 40 acres of land along Route 140 in Lakeville and Freetown, and would include a 150-room hotel, a retail space, and a buffer zone that would preserve some distance between it and residents of both towns.
The casino itself would occupy about 145,000 square feet, and would offer 36 table games, poker tables, and 2,700 slot machines.
Foes of the proposed plans were camped out in front of the polling place all day on Saturday, holding anti-casino signs, and shouting and waving to cars driving past.
“I believe we are fighting for our lives,” said Lakeville resident Sue Murray, who is protesting the casino plan. “The casino would fundamentally harm the town.”
Down the street, Aquinnah Tribe members held their own signs, and said the casino could bring jobs and money into the area.
“It’s an economic engine,” said Keith Marden of Somerset, a tribal council member and the treasurer of the Aquinnah Wampanoag Gaming Corp. “With everything going on with the economy these days, you really can’t get enough capital.”
Freetown residents voted against the casino plan in a non-binding referendum on May 29.
Evan Allen can be reached at evan.allen@globe.com.
http://www.boston.com/metrodesk/2012/06/02/lakeville-votes-casino-proposal-from-the-wampanoag-tribe-aquinnah/owjBNZRWauYEy06V0Jz6tJ/story.html
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