Here's a great hero for speaking the TRUTH!
Somerville mayor leading effort to repeal casino law
Posted by Jarret Bencks
August 8, 2013
Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone is hoping the rest of the state will see
casino development the way he does now that it is moving closer to reality.
Joining a coalition that includes a state senator, the president of the
Massachusetts Family Institute, and the administrator of the Episcopal Diocese
of Western Massachusetts, Curatone was one of the first 10 people to sign a
petition calling for a ballot question asking voters to repeal the state's
casino law.
"This is really the only opportunity the greater Commonwealth will have to
engage, to comment on, what we believe is bad policy and a flawed piece of
legislation," Curtatone said in a phone interview Thursday.
Curtatone has been vocal in his opposition to casinos as a source of revenue
for the state, and particularly a proposal in Everett, located just across the
Mystic River from Somerville. But Curtatone said the push for a ballot question
is about more than protecting Somerville, calling casinos "economic development
by desperation."
"This is bigger than the impacts on the City of Somerville, we're talking
about a dramatic shift in the culture of the Commonwealth," he said. "The
negative impacts are very dramatic. There will be a lot of sad stories. We're
relying on fool's gold."
The proposed development in Everett, located at the former Monsanto factory
site off of Route 99, has been met with criticism from officials in neighboring Medford and
residents in Charlestown, along with Curtatone. Everett Mayor Carlo DeMaria Jr.
plans to address those criticisms in a press conference Friday.
The Massachusetts casino law calls for
referendum approval of a development by the host community. It also calls for
developers to negotiate mitigation with neighboring communities, but does not
require regional approval.
Curtatone said it was "unfathomable" that area communities do not have more
say in proposed casino developments.
Everett's proposed casino site is only a couple hundred yards across the
Mystic River from Somerville's Assembly Row, a massive, mixed-use development
that has received over $130 million in public funding and over $1 billion in
private money, and is currently under construction.
"We are going to risk that investment, and yet, only the voters of Everett
get to vote on the proposal?" he said. "That, to me, is absurd."
The petition for a ballot question was filed Wednesday, and
will take thousands more signatures to end up on the ballot.
The referendum would give Massachusetts voters a chance to change their minds
on casinos, Curtatone said.
"I refuse to give into the fact that we should just accept this," he said.
"It's never too late to step back and say is this not the right thing for the
Commonwealth."
http://www.boston.com/yourtown/news/somerville/2013/08/somerville_mayor_in_front_of_effort_to_repeal_casino_law.html
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