Menino: And dammit! I don't care what it cost!

A Slot Barn (by whatever elegant name) located at Suffolk Downs will cost Massachusetts taxpayers + $500 MILLION.

Where is the Globe commenting on that? Those figures are according to a report commissioned by Senator Petrucelli, paid for with taxpayer dollars, that the Senator has refused to produce. What is he hiding?

And why is the Globe ignoring it?

Mayor Menino and Senator Petrucelli were recipients of $16,000 in 'charitable contributions' from a Wyoming owner of Suffolk Downs. What else don't we know?

The Mayor has refused to conduct a study of the impacts and costs of crime and gambling addiction.

What will this cost the City of Boston in terms of increased public safety costs? Isn't it time to insist that City government make informed decisions? Or should the City simply allow a King to rule?

Experts to make sure city gets best deal, mayor says
By Andrew Ryan
GLOBE STAFF
April 12, 2012


Mayor Thomas Menino announced a five-member advisory team to help with a casino deal for Suffolk Downs racetrack.

Mayor Thomas M. Menino launched a team Thursday to forge a deal with developers pushing to build a casino at Suffolk Downs racetrack.

The five-member advisory committee will help negotiate a package to mitigate the impact of a casino, an agreement that could include road improvements and payments for additional police.

“While we are not the first city to have a destination, resort-style casino, I am committed to doing it better,’’ Menino said at a City Hall press conference. “The new state gaming legislation has given us an opportunity to develop a new way forward for our city, making Boston [a] destination for entertainment.’’

Under the Massachusetts law, a developer must reach a pact with the city before applying for one of the state’s three casino licenses. Menino has been a vocal booster of a plan to build a gambling emporium at Suffolk Downs.

The committee will not examine other Boston locations for a casino because no other group has formally declared an interest, Menino said at the press conference. The advisory group will not debate whether a vote authorizing a casino should be confined to East Boston or be taken citywide.

“That’s not their role,’’ Menino said, reiterating his stance that the referendum should be limited to East Boston.

The advisory team will be led by Brian Leary, a former television reporter who is now a partner at the law firm McCarter & English. Other members will be Sarah Barnat of National Development; David Fubini of McKinsey & Company; Ronald L. Walker II, president of Next Street, a Boston merchant bank; and Lisa Calise, who worked in Menino’s administration for 16 years and served as the city’s chief financial officer.

By assembling a group with expertise in finance, real estate development, law, and business, Menino said he wants to ensure that the city will get the best deal from developers for a casino. The team is designed to add transparency to the process, Menino said. Committee meetings generally will be open to the public, but the team may also meet behind closed doors, according to Menino’s spokeswoman, Dot Joyce.

As an advisory committee that will offer guidance but ultimately does not have the power to make decisions, the group is not subject to the state law regarding open meetings and public records, Joyce said. The Menino administration plans to go above and beyond what the law requires to ensure transparency, Joyce said.

Clyde Barrow, a University of Massachusetts Dartmouth casino specialist, said that the advisory committee was a good idea because it keeps Menino at arm’s length from the mitigation negotiations.

“The mayor has made it very clear that he supports this proposal,’’ Barrow said. “If he was negotiating the agreement, there could be the accusation that he was too soft on Suffolk Downs. . . . This goes to the voters, so if the voters don’t get a good deal in that agreement, it’s going to be defeated.’’

Big Dig anyone?