Gaming Board: There Won’t Be a Tie on E. Mass. Vote Because There Won’t Be a Tie on E. Mass. Vote
When the Eastern Massachusetts casino licensing process devolved into a hot mess earlier this month, headlined by commission chair Stephen Crosby’s recusal from any further business having to do with the license, one question stood out. What to do if the now-four-member commission’s vote on whether to award the casino to the proposed Everett and Revere sites results in a tie?
Worry not, because today the commission gave its answer. It translates pretty well to this: “Dude. C’mon. There won’t be a tie.”
From Commonwealth Magazine:
[Acting chair James] McHugh expressed confidence that the plan would avoid a 2-2 impasse. "The likelihood is nonexistent after going through those tools and still be tied," he said. "It's just not going to happen.
Those tools refer to a question-and-presentation protocol that is meant to build consensus across the commission. The board’s previous vote—awarding a slot parlor to Penn National Gaming in Plainville—resulted in a close 3-2 vote.
According to MassLive, McHugh, shrugging off the mathematics that suggest a tie is very possible in a four-person vote, added: “It’s inconceivable to me that we won’t reach a decision.”
However, he did provide a look at what might happen in the event of the inconceivable. Developers could try and sway commissioners who remained on the fence (despite the fact they already voted—hence the tie), or the commission could ask each to come back with a final offer and vote again. But, going back to Commonwealth Magazine, that part of the plan is still sort-of-kind-of a work in progress.
McHugh said that it would be difficult to precisely predict how the applicants would go about "improving" their offers to deal with any objections.
Anyway, don’t worry about all that because there totally won’t be a tie. There won’t! There just won’t.
The board said it would vote on the Eastern Massachusetts license in late August or September, according to MassLive.
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