The incestuous yuckiness of it all

Gambling czar flub #2
By Boston Herald Editorial Staff

Is there a three-strikes law for public officials?

If so, the state’s gambling czar is on borrowed time.

Stephen Crosby was named by the governor back in December to head the just created Gaming Commission, which will be in charge of issuing licenses for the state’s soon-to-be casinos.

The ink was hardly dry on the appointment when Crosby decided to appear on a panel at a gambling forum co-sponsored by ML Strategies. The lobbying firm had already been hired by Las Vegas casino honcho Steve Wynn in connection with his bid to build a $1 billion casino in Foxboro.

Several hundred people attended the forum and Crosby insisted his appearance had the blessing of the State Ethics Commission. Part of the deal was that he would speak before the other participants and then leave before a vice president for Ameristar Casinos — a contender for a western Massachusetts location — spoke.

So having survived that brouhaha, the apparently tone deaf Crosby got himself into more hot water yesterday — by agreeing to attend a reception at the offices of Holland & Knight. Last week the law firm won a contract from the Patrick administration to explore the possibility of negotiating a casino deal with a local Native American tribe. The tribe would get first dibs on a casino in southeast Massachusetts. The fee for the firm’s work could go as high as $500,000.

The event at Holland & Knight last night was “honoring” Crosby on his appointment to the Gaming Commission and was organized by the Commonwealth Compact, which Crosby founded. Leaving aside the self-congratulatory nature of the event, we are still faced with the incestuous yuckiness of it all.

As Crosby told the earlier forum, “If we can void terrible negatives, then I will feel good.”

That ought to be his guide to future engagements too.