Paper City Development and Chicopee mayor petition state gaming commission for more time to file casino application
By Robert Rizzuto, The Republican
The Republican
on January 15, 2013 Citing the several changes of heart Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse has had on the issue of casino gambling, Paper City Development and Chicopee Mayor Michael Bissonnette are asking the Massachusetts Gaming Commission for more time to file an application and the $400,000 non-refundable fee to be considered for the region's sole gaming license.
The Republican/MassLive.com learned late Tuesday that Paper City Development retained the Nicolai Law Firm in Springfield to draft the petition, which was delivered to the gaming commission's Boston office at 3 p.m. today – just two hours before the official "Phase 1" deadline.
Paul Nicolai, the limited liability company's lawyer, said the petition was a result of Morse's back-and-forth on the issue and how it impacted Paper City Development's potential to develop a resort casino in the Pioneer Valley.
"Frankly, it's tough to pay $400,000 and fill out an application for a gaming license when you don't know that if you get the gaming license, you've got ground to build the casino on, and that's the problem," Nicolai said. "The mayor of Holyoke has changed his mind a couple of times and tonight the city council is considering whether the people should decide whether a casino should come to Holyoke. So we've filed a petition to give us 30 days after the (potential U.S. Senate special) election to file an application assuming that Holyoke decides they want to go forward."
Tuesday evening, the Holyoke City Council is expected to vote on a non-binding referendum about casino gambling which would go before the voters as they hit the polls later this year to decide a replacement for U.S. Sen. John Kerry, who is expected to be confirmed as the next secretary of state for President Barack Obama.
The council is also looking at adding another non-binding referendum on the issue of a needle exchange in Holyoke, which Morse pushed through without their approval.
Considering Morse settled on opposing casino gambling but is a strong supporter of the city's needle exchange program, it may come as no surprise that the council tackles these issues as he is out of the country on vacation. But Morse said Tuesday evening that the council wasn't aware of his vacation plans when planning the meeting agenda.
When reached by reporter Michael Plaisance, Morse said he thinks the overture from Paper City Development is too little, too late.
"It's a dead issue, and Paper City Development is playing politics. I don't see any operator coming to Holyoke given my position," Morse said. "I urge the Massachusetts Gaming Commission to abide by their own timetable and resist playing politics with Paper City Development. I'm very pleased that
Paper City Development failed to submit their application by the deadline. More proof they are just making noise, as just last week they pledged to submit."
Morse later added that even if the council approves he non-binding referendums on casinos and the needle exchange, he wouldn't approve their appearance on the ballot- effectively killing the measures.
After Morse's initial opposition to a Holyoke casino, Paper City Development apparently was also negotiating a land acquisition deal in Chicopee to put a resort casino in that city's downtown. But when Morse announced he would consider such a facility in his city in a surprise twist of events, negotiations with Chicopee became less a priority.
Bissonnette also wrote a letter to the gaming commission on Tuesday supporting Paper City Development's plea for more time.
Additionally, Newton resident Charles J. Petitti, who proposed building the Good Samaritan Casino Hotel -- with mini-museums dedicated to Elvis Presley, Norman Rockwell and the Miss America Pageant in Holyoke, also asked for an extension.
The commission will ultimately decide what happens next; no timetable has been set for acting on the extension requests.
The four major casino companies expressing an interest in developing a Western Massachusetts resort casino have all made today's 5 p.m. deadline.
A full report on today's casino application deadline will be in Wednesday's issue of The Republican and on the 11 p.m. CBS-3 Springfield Evening News.
http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2013/01/paper_city_development_and_chi.html
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