Officials ignored warnings, enabled track president
To the editor:
"Driving 'irony' in Plainville" (Aug. 12) [ Defining Plainville's Incompetence ] lists many of the reasons a handful of residents have had trepidation about an expanded gambling license at Plainridge from the very beginning. Unfortunately, the board of selectmen always dismissed our concerns.
In response to the Attorney General's Office seizing records from Plainridge about the so-called "Plainridge Raffle," Andrea Soucy invited Plainridge official Steve O'Toole to extol the virtues of Plainridge at the next selectmen's meeting.
They never even responded to correspondence telling them that abutters on Harness Path were being threatened by Gary Piontkowski with an "Agreement of Non-Interference" that could have prevented them from speaking at any public meetings or hearings about expanded gambling at the track. And the response from Rob Rose to abutters' worries about slots at the track was, "It's almost not even Plainville."
"Driving 'irony' in Plainville" (Aug. 12) [ Defining Plainville's Incompetence ] lists many of the reasons a handful of residents have had trepidation about an expanded gambling license at Plainridge from the very beginning. Unfortunately, the board of selectmen always dismissed our concerns.
In response to the Attorney General's Office seizing records from Plainridge about the so-called "Plainridge Raffle," Andrea Soucy invited Plainridge official Steve O'Toole to extol the virtues of Plainridge at the next selectmen's meeting.
They never even responded to correspondence telling them that abutters on Harness Path were being threatened by Gary Piontkowski with an "Agreement of Non-Interference" that could have prevented them from speaking at any public meetings or hearings about expanded gambling at the track. And the response from Rob Rose to abutters' worries about slots at the track was, "It's almost not even Plainville."
Gary Piontkowski didn't act on his own. There have been plenty of enablers and collaborators who looked away or did not do due diligence; from the racing commissioners who originally voted to allow the track to go forward without proper vetting of investors to the current scandal of sticky fingers in the money room, there have been people along the way who made excuses and greased the skids for Gary's shenanigans.
The Plainville selectmen have always been dazzled by Piontkowski: all hail fellow well met, slick and full of promises, he never hesitated to remind the board that, even though Plainridge hadn't made a profit in more than a decade, he stayed because he "cared about Plainville." He said this, straight-faced, with his hand in the cookie jar. And the selectmen would scrape and bow in adulation.
Isn't it time for law enforcement to get involved? Where is the much-touted Gaming Enforcement arm of the AGO? At the very least, can't Plainville sue the track for not negotiating in good faith? The selectmen owe it to us to take this as far as it can go and recoup whatever we can. It's really the least they can do after ignoring the warnings - and us - for so long.
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