The Myth of "Getting it Right"

Beacon Hill was too focused on backroom deals and receiving the blessings of the Gambling Industry to focus on their responsibilities to protect Massachusetts residents in this Folly.

This is just the beginning!

Wait until they figure out what else they screwed up and what it will cost.

Let's just Repeal this deal!


[State Sen. James Timilty, D-Walpole] said legislators were unable to anticipate all the possible consequences of the casino bill.

Timilty said he expects Connecticut casinos to get involved and campaign to defeat referendums in Massachusetts.

State Rep. Jay Barrows, R-Mansfield, whose district includes Foxboro, said he thinks Galvin is on to something the Legislature did not think of when passing the bill. “This is something that is definitely worth a conversation,” Barrows said.


NEW FRIDAY: Galvin wants to tighten spending rules for casino referendums
By Jim Hand

With the prospect of highly contentious referendums on casinos facing cities and towns across the state, Secretary of State William Galvin is calling for tighter rules for reporting political spending.

Galvin said local referendums are usually low-cost affairs with opposing sides spending little money. The issues usually involve questions such as whether to build a new library or put an addition on a school.

Now, with communities required to vote on whether to accept a casino proposal in their community, Galvin said hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not millions, will be spent trying to influence voters.

Casinos proponents will spend to try to get their project approved, while opponents and casino competitors will dole out campaign money trying to defeat referendums, he said.

“This is something we haven’t seen in Massachusetts at the local level ... You’re going to have high-stakes referendums, no pun intended,” he said.

Galvin said he will prepare legislation calling for groups that spend money on the referendums to disclose where the money comes from.

He also wants instant, electronic reporting of expenditures close to election day.

Reaction to Galvin’s idea from local legislators was initially positive. “He is absolutely right. The whole landscape has changed,” said state Sen. James Timilty, D-Walpole, who represents Foxboro.

Timilty said lawmakers like himself were focused on approving casinos to compete with out-of-state gambling facilities and assumed they would be placed in communities that wanted them.

The situation in Foxboro has shown how contentious the issue can be.

Las Vegas mogul Steve Wynn and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft have proposed building a casino on Route 1 in Foxboro. Groups have sprouted up both in favor and against the proposal.

Timilty compared the days after the casino bill passed the Legislature to the scene in the movie “The Candidate” where a character played by Robert Redford unexpectedly got elected senator and asked “Now what?”

He said legislators were unable to anticipate all the possible consequences of the casino bill.

Timilty said he expects Connecticut casinos to get involved and campaign to defeat referendums in Massachusetts.

State Rep. Jay Barrows, R-Mansfield, whose district includes Foxboro, said he thinks Galvin is on to something the Legislature did not think of when passing the bill. “This is something that is definitely worth a conversation,” Barrows said.