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REPEAL THE CASINO DEAL

Casino repeal activists say they have enough signatures

By Mark Arsenault and Martin Finucane

| Globe Staff June 17, 2014

Casino repeal activists say they’ve collected more than twice the required signatures to clear the final hurdle to get on the November ballot.

The activists announced today that they had collected more than 26,000 signatures. Only 11,485 signatures were needed.

It is the second round of signature-gathering under the state’s initiative petition process. In the first round, the activists collected more than 90,000 signatures, the activists said.

“Our grassroots supporters statewide have amazed me with their tenacity and drive to meet voters and share our message, always growing our base of support and momentum to repeal this bad casino deal,” casino repeal chairman John Ribeiro said in a statement.

Both sides of the gambling debate are keeping close watch on the Supreme Judicial Court, which is expected to rule by early July whether a casino repeal measure may move ahead to the November ballot.

Casino opponents have been working to place a repeal measure on the statewide ballot since lawmakers legalized Las Vegas-style casino gambling in Massachusetts nearly three years ago. Attorney General Martha Coakley ruled last year that the repeal measure was an unconstitutional taking of the implied contract rights of casino applicants and therefore could not be on the ballot. Opponents appealed to the SJC; the court heard arguments on the case in May.

The state’s 2011 gambling expansion law authorized three resort-style casinos, no more than one in each of three regions of the state, and one slot machine parlor. In February, the state gambling commission awarded the slot parlor license to the Penn proposal in Plainville.

Chris Murphy, a Plainville resident and president of People for Plainridge, a grassroots group that supported the Plainridge Park Casino slots parlor there, said anti-casino activists were like “a petulant little child stomping their foot and a parent eventually having to pay attention to them.”

“I think that opens up a whole can of worms. ... They’re opening up an extraordinary mess, all for a decision that’s already been made by the people of Massachusetts,” he said.

He predicted that if the repeal proposal comes to a vote, it will be rejected.

The state commission has voted to award a license to the only viable project vying for the Western Massachusetts resort license, an MGM proposal in Springfield. The vote will become final if the high court nixes a repeal vote.

The commission hopes to choose later this summer between two companies competing for the Greater Boston license.

The final license, for Southeastern Massachusetts, is scheduled to be issued in 2015.


More coverage:
• Casino enemies prepare for potential vote
• Candidates quiet on repeal vote for Mass. casino law
• Justice hearing casino repeal case tied to Suffolk Downs
• Yvonne Abraham: No sure bet on casinos


Martin Finucane of the Globe staff contributed to this report.

http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2014/06/17/casino-repeal-activists-say-they-collected-enough-signatures-make-ballot-high-court-allows-vote/80FVxDsJdccfHfk9M3VAdM/story.html