The Vultures were circling long ago....

Posted February 20, 2012 - 3:59pm

Massachusetts gaming expansion cost Nevada firms plenty

 

By Howard Stutz

LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

The casino industry -- including several companies with ties to the Strip -- spent roughly $11.4 million over the past five years in lobbying Massachusetts lawmakers to approve casinos, according a review of records by the Associated Press.

A Las Vegas-based subsidiary of Wynn Resorts Ltd., Development Associates LLC, spent more than $863,000 on lobbying in the past three years, the records showed. Las Vegas Sands Corp. spent nearly $473,000 on lobbying.

In November, after a lengthy debate, lawmakers approved a bill that legalized three Las Vegas-style casino resorts and a slot machine parlor. The move opened the state to legalized gambling roughly 20 years after casinos opened in neighboring Connecticut. It was the largest single expansion of legalized gambling in Massachusetts since the state lottery was created 40 years earlier.

The bill allowed for a single casino in the Boston area, a casino in southeastern Massachusetts and one casino in any of the four counties in Western Massachusetts.

According to the Associated Press, overall spending on lobbying steadily increased year after year as pressure built to approve a gaming bill. In 2007, the total lobbying tab on the casino issue was nearly $1.3 million. By 2011, that grew to more than $3.1 million.

Many of the companies that lobbied hardest for the expanded gambling law are now actively pursuing the three casino licenses.

The company that spent the most on lobbying was Sterling Suffolk Racecourse, which runs the Suffolk Downs racetrack and is hoping to turn the East Boston facility into a destination casino in partnership with Caesars Entertainment Corp.

From 2007 to 2011, the racetrack spent more than $2.8 million on lobbying, according to the Associated Press review.

Wynn is also seeking the Boston-area license. He is in partnership with Robert Kraft, owner of the National Football League's New England Patriots, for a casino in Foxborough adjacent to the team's stadium.

Las Vegas Sands has not formally entered the Massachusetts casino derby.

M Resort owner Penn National Gaming spent nearly $197,000 on lobbying during the past five years, while MGM Resorts International spent $60,000. The companies are vying for the Western Massachusetts license along with Las Vegas-based Ameristar Casinos, which wasn't listed in the report.

The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, which has until July 31 to negotiate a gaming compact with the state for the southeastern license, spent nearly $850,000 on lobbying expenses in the past five years.
Developers seeking a casino license are required to pay $85 million for the license and invest $500 million into the project.

The state will have a 25 percent tax on gaming revenues.

Yet to be appointed members of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission will choose which casino proposals get the licenses and will also to regulate and investigate the new gaming facilities.

http://www.reviewjournal.com/business/casinos-gaming/massachusetts-gaming-expansion-cost-nevada-firms-plenty

 

Wynn Buys Everett, Learns His Lesson

Cramming a deal through quickly successfully prevents residents from educating themselves and organizing.

Steve Wynn's machine learned from their mistakes in Foxborough.  

Give people enough time to educate themselves and of course, they oppose Predatory Gambling!

This is what Steve Wynn said of his proposed monstrosity in Bridgeport, CT:

"Get it straight," he said. "I think I know how to bring people to Bridgeport, and keep them coming, but there is no reason on earth for any of you to expect for more than one second that just because there are people here, they're going to run into your store, or restaurant, or bar.

"That didn't happen in Atlantic City," he said. "It should never have been promised in Atlantic City. It is illogical to expect that people who won't come to Bridgeport and go to your restaurants or your stores today will go to your restaurants and stores just because we happen to build this building here."

From: Wynn's Plans for Bridgeport, CT

Wynn spends on casino referendum in Everett; records show no activity by opponents

By BOB SALSBERG Associated Press BOSTON — Las Vegas casino operator Steve Wynn is bankrolling an effort to convince Everett voters to support a proposed casino in the city, while nothing has been spent in opposition to the plan, according to campaign finance records. A referendum is scheduled for Saturday on a host community agreement Wynn signed with city officials that calls for $30 million in advance payments to Everett and more than $25 million in annual payments if the casino was to open for business. Supporters and critics of the plan say they anticipate voter approval of the agreement, marking a key step forward for Wynn in a casino selection process that will ultimately be decided by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission. Wynn has proposed a $1.2 billion casino on a 37-acre site along the Mystic River that once housed a chemical plant. In a report posted by the state Office of Campaign and Political Finance, the pro-casino group Everett United, which is pushing for a yes vote on the referendum, reported $85,455 in contributions through June 4, all but $455 of which had come from Wynn Resorts. The group reported about $25,000 in expenditures through that date. The group additionally received more than $150,000 "in-kind" contributions from Wynn Resorts for specific purposes, largely consulting services, according to the report. In a separate report, a subsidiary called Wynn MA, LLC, reported about $230,000 in expenditures or liabilities related to the ballot question. There is no law preventing corporations from spending on municipal referenda in Massachusetts. Casino supporters have not purchased any radio or television ads, focusing instead on neighborhood canvassing and meetings with small groups of residents to explain the casino plan, said Sandy Guliano, president of Everett United. "The community has really embraced the project," she said. Wynn's willingness to clean up the polluted site, formerly home to the Monsanto Chemical Co., was a key in convincing her and other residents to support the project, Guliano said, though she still had some concerns about traffic management. The host community agreement would be both "fair and generous" to the city, she said. While some in the city remain opposed to the casino, no organized group has formed to push for a no vote on Saturday's referendum. "I'm kind of heartbroken by the whole thing," said Evmorphia Stratis, a local artist who has emerged as an unofficial spokeswoman against the casino. Stratis said the plan, which is backed by Mayor Carlo DeMaria and other key city officials, was pushed through so quickly that opponents did not have time to organize against it. Traffic is already a "nightmare," in the area, Stratis said, and she also worries about gambling addiction and the casino becoming a magnet for drugs, alcohol and prostitution. Michael Weaver, a senior vice president for Wynn Resorts, said Wynn had directly communicated with Everett residents through a series of letters. He said the company was optimistic about the referendum. Wynn unveiled the Everett plan after abandoning an earlier effort to develop a casino on land owned by New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft in Foxborough. Approval of a host community agreement by voters is a requirement for developers seeking a regional casino license. The Wynn plan faces competition for the sole eastern Massachusetts license from Suffolk Downs in Boston and Foxwoods Resorts, which is backing a proposed casino in Milford. http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/78619d09186a4d22ba2588b58fbc27a2/MA-Massachusetts-Gambling-Everett

Successfuly Foxborough Opposition

Looking back on 2012 | Foxborough

At year end, an uneasy relationship between Foxborough and its biggest taxpayer

By Michele Morgan Bolton

Globe Correspondent / December 29, 2012

There was a time when Foxborough and its largest taxpayer, the Kraft Group, got along famously. But that has changed. Tension turned to controversy when Las Vegas mogul Steve Wynn pitched a $1 billion casino complex on Route 1 land owned by Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots, Gillette Stadium, and the adjoining Patriot Place mall. Supporters and opponents clashed, sometimes angrily, until the proposal was abandoned. But not before selectmen chairman Larry Harrington, a supporter, was voted out of office, and fellow Selectman Mark Sullivan sought police protection after his opposition to the casino drew a death threat from a neighbor. Negotiations also soured between the town and the Krafts over development plans for Route 1, and disputes over sewer access and shared billboard revenues. The relationship remains uneasy at year end, although the two sides now have something else in common: Both face lawsuits stemming from alcohol use during events at the stadium.

Michele Morgan Bolton

Kraft Group breaks off talks with Foxborough

By Michele Morgan Bolton

| Globe Correspondent November 02, 2012

The Kraft Group has walked away from negotiations with Foxborough on an economic development agreement, saying it is convinced the parties are no closer to accord than they were three years ago, when talks began on shared opportunities for growth in the town.

Among a long list of items being negotiated were eight new liquor licenses for Patriot Place on Route 1, and new zoning rules that would allow a second hotel and 300 condominium units near Gillette Stadium. The sides were also trying to resolve a dispute dating to 2006 over water and sewer enhancements in the town, and to determine how to share revenue from a pair of billboards along Route 1.

The company broke off talks Tuesday, two weeks after Foxborough selectmen dissolved a second negotiating committee they appointed in the last two months, saying they feared violating the state Open Meeting Law. Town officials discovered they had inadvertently done just that on Oct. 2 during a meeting with Jonathan Kraft, president and chief operating officer of the Kraft Group, and other company officials because that committee contained two of the town’s five selectmen. Because selectmen elected by voters created the committee, and appointed people to it, it is considered a subcommittee and subject to the Open Meeting Law.

Town Manager Kevin Paicos said selectmen were surprised at the Krafts’ move Tuesday, given that they had planned that night at their regular meeting to reconstruct the committee legally.

 

“I think we could have made it work,” Paicos said.

Kraft spokesman Jeff Cournoyer said the company was approached by town officials in late 2009 about contributing funds to their water and sewer efforts and, in turn, the company compiled a list of terms at the town’s request.

“It included items that would help us develop Patriot Place, none of which cost taxpayers, and many of which cities and towns across the state are pursuing on their own as economic development initiatives,” he said.

More recently, the items also included a plan to include funding from the Kraft Group for the town to partner with a regional water treatment facility, after a multimillion-dollar local treatment plant the company was going to help pay for as part of its mitigation for the mall was rejected by Town Meeting voters.

Foxborough is at capacity for its sewer treatment needs and must expand in order to be able to bring in new business.

Cournoyer said the company had hoped to hammer out a mutually beneficial agreement with selectmen that included all the requested items and would then put a proposal before Foxborough voters.

“But it is obvious from their debates on the subject and public statements that we are unlikely to get to that agreement,’’ he said. “We have decided that we need to shift our focus to developing Patriot Place as best we can without such an agreement.’’

While the Krafts had asked to move the talks behind closed doors because of competitive business concerns, town officials said communication and transparency with residents is more important than ever after the pandemonium that resulted from the company’s ultimately unsuccessful effort to build a casino resort across from Gillette Stadium.

Lately, representatives of the company, which also owns the New England Patriots, have reappeared before the Planning Board looking for long-requested zoning changes for that parcel in order to develop it, stirring new anxieties in the town.

The next Planning Board meeting at which the issue may be addressed is Nov. 8 at 7 p.m.
Paicos said he believed that there was a lot to be gained by the town working with its largest taxpayer, but that the baseline set by selectmen — that talks take place in public — has to be met.

Selectmen also feel that questions about whether the Krafts owe the town money from negotiations in the first phase of Patriot Place’s construction must be answered before moving on to other phases.

“Selectmen are well within their rights to make that demand,’’ Paicos said.

Selectwoman Lynda A. Walsh, who chaired one of the negotiating committees, said she hopes the company will return to the negotiating table.

“Economic growth is important to the town and to the Kraft organization,’’ she said.
Walsh said her preference would be for selectmen to appoint Paicos as leader in the negotiations, and that he could bring with him town attorney Richard Gelerman, an outside consultant, and a member of the community. Such a group dealing with the Krafts would not fall under the constraints of the Open Meeting Law, officials said.
“All meeting minutes would become public once the negotiations were final,’’ Walsh said. “At the end of the day, the townspeople would have the last say, and once the negotiation committee brought forward their agreement, it would have gone to Town Meeting for a vote.”

http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/regionals/south/2012/11/01/kraft-group-abandons-talks-with-foxborough-shared-opportunites-for-growth-town/M1u1b8xtw3AZqUh9IMf2IL/story.html

A Senator Lobbying for Predatory Gambling?

Massachusetts voters are historically known for correcting their errors in the next election.
When you vote, please consider the letter to the editor below.

Senator Scott Brown returned from Washington, D.C. - a sitting Senator - to lobby for his buddies at Plainridge.

Is that what we want?  A Senator lobbying for a Slot Barn? For Predatory Gambling?

Gráinne O'Malley

Here's a great letter to the editor about the connection between Scott Brown and expanded predatory gambling:

October 28, 2012
To the Editor,

When the two anti-casino candidates won the Foxboro selectmen races in May 2012, many thought the casino-in-Foxboro issue had been put to rest, particularly when the Kraft Group issued a press release stating it was "suspending" their efforts. However, "suspending" raised a red flag in my mind that they would be back, particularly if the Suffolk Downs location in East Boston and Revere ran into problems.

An article in the October 18th Foxboro Reporter, stated the Kraft Group submitted to the Planning Board on October 11th a set of "draft zoning clarifications/revisions." The article went on to say that a "resort, conference and/or entertainment facilities" and "resort amenities and personal services for occupants of the facilities" would be allowed in the Route 1 economic development area.

The Foxboro Reporter article also said that several people asked the Kraft Group representative if these proposals would allow for a casino. He would not answer their question.

An article in the October 25th Foxboro Reporter notes that a Foxboro Advisory Committee member wants the Kraft Group to sign a legally binding no-casino pledge in order to resolve the casino issue once and for all: "...All it (Kraft Group) needs to do is enter into an agreement...that is legally binding and that runs with the land, and can be recorded with the Norfolk County Registry of Deeds."

The article said that "a spokesman for the Kraft Group declined to comment Tuesday on the proposal."

You know, there's a saying: Sometimes no answer is an answer.

Given the above, a cautious person would have to believe that whatever casino activity was "suspended," no longer is.

I lived in Norfolk when the Massachusetts Water Resource Authority attempted in the 1990's to locate a Sludge Dump on the boundary line between Norfolk and Walpole. After several years of intense opposition to it, we finally stopped it.

A key factor in our success was having elected officials, both state and federal, being in our corner and going to bat for us.

This raises a very important question about the casino issue and the upcoming U. S. Senate race. Where does Scott Brown stand on having a casino on Route One in Foxboro? We can get a pretty good idea by traveling down Route One just four miles from Patriot Place to the Plainridge Racecourse in Plainville.

On April 26, 2012, at Boston.com, Jose Martinez, Boston Globe correspondent, said, "The track owners hope to expand their gambling operation to include the first slot-machine parlor in Massachusetts." They have a "$160 million plan to expand the racetrack."

August 9, 2012 was the opening day to submit applications to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission. On August 9, 2012, at www.sunchronicle.com, Jim Hand of the Sun Chronicle, posted that "Plainridge Racecourse formally began the process of applying for a slot machine license by submitting a check for $400,000 to the state Gaming Commission." He said the deposit was non-refundable, and "Plainridge wants the only license the state is offering to operate 1,250 slot machines...." Hand's posting on August 16, 2012, notes that the Plainridge Racecourse is in the process of building a 1,000 car parking garage. "The hope is the garage will serve future customers of a racino the track owners want to build if they win the only state license for a slot machine parlor."

How does Scott Brown fit into the above picture?

On July 20, 2010, over two years ago, at Boston.com, Noah Bierman and Frank Phillips of the Boston Globe staff posted the following: "As a state senator, Brown was a strong advocate for Plainridge Racecourse, whose owner, Gary Piontkowski, has given, with family, $3,250 to Brown's political campaigns since 2003, who attended Brown's swearing-in as a (United States) senator, and who co-owned a horse with Brown's daughter."

"Senator Scott Brown has lobbied both Governor Deval Patrick and Senate President Therese Murray to legalize slot machines at the state's race tracks according to the governor and a legislative official on Beacon Hill....Brown called Murray in April (2010), shortly after the House passed a bill allowing slots at the race tracks, to voice his support and suggested that the Legislature authorize 1,500 slot machines at each track."

Harness Tracks of America's Executive Newsletter of July 31, 2008, noted that Scott Brown's daughter became a partner in ownership of a racing horse in April 2008 with Plainridge Racecourse president Gary Piontkowski. This was raised during a session of the Massachusetts State Senate when it was considering extension of the Massachusetts simulcasting law. The Newsletter stated that Scott Brown "pointed out that he had worked on behalf of Plainridge long before his daughter owned a horse..."

On January 26, 2009, at www.sunchronicle.com Michael Gelbwasser of the Sun Chronicle staff posted an article about a public meeting held at the race tack by Plainridge Racecourse President Gary Piontkowski to promote slot machines at race tracks. Gelbwasser wrote that Piontkowski "invited Plainville residents, town and state lawmakers and horsemen to the session."

State Senator Scott Brown attended the session and said: "If you folks are going to continue to support it, then we'll support it in the Legislature." Gelbwasser also wrote, "Plainridge Racecourse President Gary Piontkowski said Sunday he and his partners are ready to fund a $100 to 125 million renovation and expansion of the Route 1 track immediately if state lawmakers allow 1,500 slot machines there." It's interesting that in the above Boston Globe article about Scott Brown discussing slots at race tracks with Governor Patrick and Senate President Murray, that he suggested the same number of slot machines, "1500."

Harness Tracks of America's Executive Newsletter of January 26, 2009, commented on this meeting: "In making his renewed pitch for slots, Gary Piontkowski has the support of two Republican legislators representing Plainridge's district. Rep. Richard Ross of Wrentham and State Senator Scott Brown, both are strong supporters of slots for the track."

Harnessracing.com stated the following on January 20, 2010, the day after Scott Brown won the Special U. S. Senate Election: "Newly elected Republican senator from Massachusetts, Scott Brown, is no stranger to harness racing....As it happens, the senator...is a personal friend of Gary Piontkowski, president of Plainridge Racecourse." And on February 1, 2010, Harnessracing.com stated, "The Brown family is close friends with Plainridge Racecourse owner Gary Piontkowski...."

An article by Ray Poirer in GamingToday.com said the following on August 2, 2010: "Piontkowski is known to have a strong backer in recently-elected Sen. Scott Brown."

An article by Boston Globe correspondent Scott Van Voorhis, at www.bostonglobe.com on January 27, 2011, details the ownership of Plainridge Racecourse:

 Nineteen investors have a stake in the track. He lists four of the 19: Stanley Fulton of Las Vegas. "Fulton is the largest single investor in the track, with a 31 percent stake" Alfred Ross, "a businessman based in South Dartmouth, is Plainridge's second largest investor, with a 29.9 percent stake...." Gary "Piontkowski has the third largest stake, with a 7.4 percent share in the track."

"Patrick Carney, head of a Bridgewater-based real estate company, Claremont Management...is one of the smaller investors with a 1 percent share."

www.newsmax.com posted the following on July 9, 2010: "Records show the track's owner Gary Piontkowski gave Brown the maximum $500 annual state campaign contribution during his six-year tenure in the Massachusetts Senate, for a total of $2,750 in contributions."

www.opensecrets.org shows the following:

Stanley Fulton of Los Vegas, Nevada, donated to Scott Brown $2,400 on December 29, 2009, and $2,400 on January 31, 2011.

Mrs. Becky Fulton of Los Vegas, Nevada, donated $2,600 on April 26, 2012 to Scott Brown.

Alfred S. Ross of South Dartmouth, Massachusetts, donated to Scott Brown $500 on October 31, 2009; $1,500 on January 20, 2010; and $2,400 on February 2, 2011.

 Apparently, $1,400 was returned to him on May 19, 2011.

Mr. Patrick Carney, Claremont Company/Chairman/CEO, Bridgewater, Massachusetts, donated $1,000 on March 29, 2010, to Scott Brown.

 Mr. Patrick Carney, Claremont Companies/Chairman & CEO, Palm Beach, Florida, donated $1,000 on January 20, 2010, and $1,000 on November 28, 2011, to Scott Brown.

Mr. Patrick Carney, Jr., of Boston, Massachusetts, donated $250 on March 29, 2010, to Scott Brown.
Mr. Patrick Carney, Jr. Bridgewater, Massachusetts,--Claremont--donated $250 on June 26, 2012, to Scott Brown.

You might say that if the slots go into Plainville, that decreases the chances of a casino going into Foxboro. Unfortunately, not so.

At www.sunchronicle.com, Jim Hand of the Sun Chronicle staff posted the following on December 7, 2011: "Gambling venues just miles apart in Plainville and Foxboro are economically viable because they would attract a different clientele, two industry analysts said Tuesday....The racino at the Plainridge Racecourse would draw mostly local gamblers who just want to play the slot machines....The Wynn casino would be an attraction for gamblers and tourists from throughout the United States."

Like I said, we won the Sludge Dump battle because of the help of federal and state elected officials who went to bat for us.

So anti-casino folks, if you live near Route one--Walpole, Foxboro, Norfolk, Wrentham, Plainville or Mansfield--you need to factor in the casino issue on who to vote for in the U. S. Senate race. Given Scott Brown's long time support for gambling on Route One, if you're going to vote for him, you really should reconsider your vote. If you haven't made up your mind yet, Scott Brown's long time support for gambling on Route One, needs to be seriously considered in making your decision.

I know I'm not going to roll the dice with Scott Brown.

Charles DiPompo
Foxboro

Kraft to Foxborough: Trust me!

Posted: Wednesday, October 24, 2012           

Lawyer wants casino pledge in writing

BY FRANK MORTIMER SUN CHRONICLE STAFF

The Sun Chronicle         

Table Games

Aspinning roulette wheel at the Meadows Racetrack and Casino in Meadowlands, Pa. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)
FOXBORO - A local lawyer and advisory committee member wants the Kraft Group to bind itself legally to its no-casino pledge.
Howard Siegal, one of the residents who questioned the casino matter during a recent planning board meeting, said he intends to urge selectmen to ask the Kraft Group to enter into a legal agreement with the town that would prohibit any future use of Kraft-owned land as a casino.
Only after such an agreement is signed should the town negotiate development deals involving zoning changes requested by the company, Siegal said.

"If the Kraft Group truly and honestly wanted to put the gambling issue behind the town, all it needs to do is enter into an agreement that there will never be gambling on the property on Route 1," Siegal said. "Do it in an agreement that is legally binding and that runs with the land, and can be recorded with the Norfolk County Registry of Deeds."

Jeff Cournoyer, a spokesman for the Kraft Group, declined to comment Tuesday on the proposal.

However, last week he said the Kraft Group has no plans to pursue a casino. At that time he noted that town bylaws do not allow for a gambling facility and that cannot change without a two-thirds vote from the town.

The Kraft Group is working on zoning proposals to allow lodging and entertainment on its land across Route 1 from Gillette Stadium, but not gambling.

Siegal said he is speaking only for himself, not for his colleagues on the advisory committee.

An 18-year Foxboro resident, Siegal supported the successful election campaigns of two candidates, Virginia Coppola and Lorraine Brue, who strongly opposed The Kraft Group's move to host a Wynn Resorts casino on Kraft-owned land.

Citing the May election results, the Kraft Group and Wynn at the time jointly announced that their casino plan was being suspended.

During the Oct. 11 planning board meeting, three people, including Vice Chairman William Grieder spoke of ongoing concerns that a casino may still be in the offing, given the similarity of the Kraft Group's new zoning requests, compared with zoning requests last year.

Siegal requested that no zoning changes be passed until all of the state's casino licenses are issued, the draft minutes of the planning board session say.

John Murtaugh, a Walpole planning board member, said the language in the rezoning proposals is "very similar to last year and feels that the definition for spa could lead to a casino," those draft minutes say.

Kraft development executive Dan Krantz "explained that they have been approached by family resort destinations akin to indoor water parks, but zoning doesnt allow it," the minutes say.

Grieder "stated that the definition is very broad and people are still concerned about a gaming facility."

Part of the Kraft Group's rezoning proposal - which would require town meeting approval - adds language to include outdoor resort, conference facilities, business meetings, sporting events, concerts, family events and amusement and trade shows.

Cournoyer said last week it was irresponsible for people to use the wording of the new zoning requests to accuse the Kraft Group of trying to revive the casino idea.

With three casino licenses yet to be awarded by the state, Siegal maintains that continued vigilance on the casino matter is civic responsibility.

"As long as the gambling sword is hanging over our head, I don't think the town should enter into any zoning concessions at all," he said.

The zoning request discussion will continue at 8 p.m. Nov. 8.

http://www.thesunchronicle.com/news/local_news/lawyer-wants-casino-pledge-in-writing/article_37414b42-3768-59bf-909c-c6b9795272c0.html

Mayor Rizzo ushers in Halloween early

An additional 20,000 cars on gridlocked roadways?

Where is Mayor Rizzo's head?

Mayor hopes to bring Revolution to Revere

Plans a stadium for Revolution

By Mark Arsenault

Globe Staff / October 1, 2012

 

REVERE — Mayor Dan Rizzo will try to acquire the Wonderland Greyhound Park property for the city in his casino negotiations with nearby Suffolk Downs, as the first piece of an ambitious plan to bring the New England Revolution professional soccer team to Revere.

“It’s a very important property to the future of the city of Revere,” said Rizzo, speaking of the shuttered dog racing track near Revere Beach. “It’s definitely something I’d like to see in play as we consider mitigation.”
 

Rizzo is negotiating mitigation payments with Suffolk Downs over plans to build a $1 billion gambling resort at the thoroughbred track, which straddles the city line between East Boston and Revere. As the mayor of one of the host cities, Rizzo has tremendous leverage under state law to demand compensation from Suffolk Downs for accepting casino gambling in the community.
 

The partnership that owns Suffolk Downs also controls Wonderland, a 34-acre parcel entirely in Revere and assessed at about $10.8 million, according to Suffolk Downs and city records.
 

Enter New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who also owns the Revolution Major League Soccer team. Kraft has been looking for several years for an urban location to build a new soccer-specific stadium, with the intention of moving the Revolution from cavernous Gillette Stadium in suburban Foxborough. Kraft explored building in Somerville as recently as 2010.

The team has been talking with Rizzo about building at Wonderland if the city gets control of the land. “We are in discussions with the City of Revere, which offers the proximity to urban centers and access to transit that we are seeking for a future Revolution stadium, but talks are preliminary at this stage,” said New England Revolution president Brian Bilello, in a statement to the Globe.
 

Revolution games in 2012 have drawn an average of 13,281 fans, who tend to get swallowed up in an NFL football stadium that seats nearly 70,000. Team officials believe they could draw 20,000 a game in an urban area. Revere fits the bill as a densely populated community close to Boston, with the added attraction of a large number of immigrants from soccer-crazed Latin America and Brazil.

The city “has to be right in the wheelhouse in terms of soccer fans,” said Rizzo. “I’d love to see a full-blown professional soccer team here.”

The negotiations between Revere and Suffolk Downs could be another test of the clout of local officials under the state’s 2011 casino law.
 

Municipal officials have become extraordinarily powerful figures in the early months of the development of the Massachusetts casino industry. In Holyoke, for instance, Mayor Alex Morse was elected on an anticasino platform and promptly persuaded Hard Rock International to give up plans for a gambling resort in the city. In Foxborough, the part-time Board of Selectmen stonewalled a casino proposal from Las Vegas billionaire Steve Wynn. When the May town election strengthened the anticasino tilt of the board, Wynn gave up.
 

In Springfield, Mayor Domenic Sarno took the opposite path, by inviting gambling companies to his city. Sarno will have as many as four proposals from which to choose, as wealthy casino operators eagerly tailor their projects to fit the city’s every whim, in their rush to win Sarno’s favor.
 

Suffolk Downs, the only applicant to date for the sole casino resort license in Greater Boston, cannot complete its application to the state gambling commission until it reaches a negotiated deal with Rizzo on compensation. It must reach a separate agreement with Mayor Thomas M. Menino of Boston.

State Senator Stanley Rosenberg, an Amherst Democrat and one of the architects of the casino law, said lawmakers gave cities and towns leverage over developers to ensure that the communities are made whole for any negative effects from casino developments or for any added drain on services.
 

The compensation can come in just about any form: cash payments, new equipment, services, or local preferences in hiring. “We wanted to provide that flexibility,” Rosenberg said.




Attack of the 50 foot Egos
 

Wonderland, a former dog racing and simulcast track, fell on hard times and closed in 2010, hurt by a state ban on live dog racing.

Suffolk Downs secured an option to buy Wonderland in 2008 and took title of the property last spring.

The owners are open to different options for redeveloping the parcel, said Chip Tuttle, chief operating officer for Suffolk Downs.

“We want to develop Wonderland in a manner that complements the ongoing revitalization of the Revere Beach area,” Tuttle said. “We don’t have specific plans for Wonderland yet.” He said the negotiations with Revere are in their early stages and that the city has not yet asked for the property.

“That concept hasn’t been broached,” he said.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/2012/09/30/revere-sees-wonderland-site-for-major-league-soccer-stadium/idIejy2JuqjI0LZ4iQsvWN/story.html

Senator Patrucelli 'commissioned' an infrastructure report he doesn't remember, can't find or has hidden indicating the cost of infrastructure improvements would be + $500 MILLION - a cost Massachusetts taxpayers would fund --

“I want to look at the big picture–whether there is a casino or not–and see if its feasible to make some of the changes first suggested in the 2000 study,” said Petruccelli.

In his study, Vitagliano suggested widening Route 1A from Curtis Street in East Boston to Mahoney Circle in Revere. This would include property taking and cost $40 million; widen Revere Beach Parkway in Revere, Everett and Medford at a cost of $90 million; perform a Copeland Circle grade separation in Revere that would cost $75 million; perform a Mahoney Circle grade separation in Revere that would cost $30 million; perform a Brown Circle grade separation in Revere that would cost $25 million; install a Route 1A to Route 16 connector on Railroad Ave. in Revere at a cost of $45 million; construct a haul road in East Boston at a cost of $20 million; build a Route 1A-Chelsea Street Bridge connector in East Boston that would cost $40 million; perform a Route 1A/Boardman Street grade separation in East Boston that would cost $10 million; build a Route 1A-Route 16 interchange that would cost $15 million; perform a Revere Street grade separation in Revere that would cost $10 million; improve traffic signalization along the Route 1A corridor at a cost of $5 million; and finally mitigation for traffic impacts on the local communities would be $15 million.
http://middlebororemembers.blogspot.com/2011/10/senator-petrucelli-sticks-taxpayers.html

The report below was paid for by Governor Slot Barns with hard-earned taxpayers' dollars. Page 23 addresses the cost of infrastructure:
COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS: Projecting and Preparing for Potential Impact of Expanded Gaming on Commonwealth of Massachusetts

The Obscenity of Campaign Contributions

Mitt Romney-Paul Ryan fundraising in Massachusetts with high-dollar events in Chestnut Hill

By Stephanie Ebbert, Globe Staff

Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney and his running mate, Paul Ryan, are coming to Chestnut Hill next week for a reception at the home of former Reebok CEO Paul Fireman, followed by a $75,000-a-plate dinner at the home of New England Patriots President Jonathan Kraft.

An invitation obtained by the Globe shows the reception at the Firemans’ home costs at least $2,500 per person, and a “VIP reception” with Ryan costs $50,000 a person. The “Romney Victory Dinner” at the Krafts’ home immediately following has a suggested contribution level of $75,000.

That dinner is also open to contributors who raise $100,000 from others, and the Ryan reception is open to those who raise $50,000 from other contributors.

Romney does not disclose his “bundlers,” or contributors who get their friends and colleagues to donate checks to the campaign at events like the Chestnut Hill fundraiser. Individual contributors can give up to $2,500 to a candidate and $30,800 to a political party, and donations to super PACs working separately on the campaign are unlimited.

Kraft, a son of the Patriots’ owner Bob Kraft, started his career at Bain & Co., where Romney previously worked.

“Jonathan has known Mitt for 30 years and has been involved in non-profit boards with him. They are friends and when a friend who is running for president asks for a favor, you do it,” said Stacey James, a spokesman for the Kraft Group, of which Jonathan Kraft is president and chief operating officer.

The event’s hosts also include Staples Inc. founder Tom Stemberg, Bain Capital managing director Paul Edgerley, and Robert A. Maginn Jr., another Bain & Co. alum who is now chairman of the Massachusetts Republican Party.

Maginn and Romney spokesman Eric Fehrnstrom did not respond to requests for comment.

The Romney campaign fell behind President Obama last month in fundraising, spending more than his campaign was taking in during month. The campaign started September with about $50 million cash on hand, compared to nearly $90 million for Obama, news organizations reported Friday. Romney also still owes $15 million of the $20 million his campaign borrowed in August to get through primary season.


http://www.boston.com/politicalintelligence/2012/09/21/mitt-romney-paul-ryan-fundraising-massachusetts-with-high-dollar-dinners-chestnut-hill/pJIS4s3Q2lVDHPDMPTysCM/story.html

Steve Wynn says never threatened Joe Francis

 

Steve Wynn, Joe Francis Lawsuit: Casino Mogul Tells Jury He Never Threatened Life Of 'Girls Gone Wild' Founder

By ANTHONY McCARTNEY 09/04/12

Steve Wynn, Joe Francis (AP Photos)

LOS ANGELES — Steve Wynn and porn producer Joe Francis faced off before jurors Tuesday, with the casino mogul denying that he threatened to kill the "Girls Gone Wild" founder and saying the accusation is threatening his upscale casinos.

Jurors listened to wildly varying accounts of whether Wynn threatened to hit Francis over the head with a shovel and have him buried in the desert, with the soft-porn producer insisting he heard about the threats from record executive Quincy Jones. Francis testified that Jones told him Wynn made the threats in conversations and emails, but Wynn denies it.

"I've never sent an email in my life," the 70-year-old designer of signature casinos such as The Mirage, Bellagio, Wynn and Encore, told jurors.

Wynn is suing Francis for slander, the latest legal fight in ongoing battles between the two men that include gambling debt that Francis racked up in one of Wynn Resorts Ltd.'s casinos.

Wynn also testified that he has been repeatedly investigated by gambling oversight agencies and the FBI for a presidential commission appointment and wouldn't be allowed to run casinos if he made threats.

"It would be a singularly self-destructive act - incredibly, incredibly stupid," Wynn said.

The billionaire was mostly poised throughout his testimony, his deep voice occasionally quivering when he discussed the potential downfall that Francis' claims could spark.

"I'm sitting here because Joe Francis decided he wanted to destroy my company because he didn't want to pay his marker," Wynn said, using a term to refer to a gambling debt.

Francis was at times jittery and combative toward Wynn's attorney - and argued with a judge who urged him to keep his answers succinct - but maintained Jones gave him good reason to fear Wynn.

"He was trying to save my life," Francis said of the record producer.

 

He claims Jones told him that Wynn was a gangster and a murderer who was the de-facto head of the Genovese mob family. In deposition testimony read in court, Francis claimed Jones said about Wynn, "He's gangster. He's old Vegas. He doesn't play."

Francis acknowledged he never actually read the emails Jones claimed he received. He said he saw one was written in all capital letters but couldn't describe them further.

Jones, who is Francis' next-door neighbor and a close friend of Wynn's, is expected to testify in the trial.

Wynn, who said he had never threatened anyone in his life, said he was concerned that Francis' allegations will hurt his reputation with his thousands of employees in Las Vegas and harm future casino projects.

"If I was a gangster and a criminal, what would that mean to their job security?" Wynn said.
Calling Francis "the most desperate, the most reprehensible" character he has met in more than four decades of work in Vegas, Wynn said he had to sue to protect his honor and business.

"The trouble is Joe Francis' statement stands without the footnote that Joe Francis is a flake," Wynn said.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/04/steve-wynn-joe-francis-lawsuit_n_1856120.html

Backroom Deals Again for Kraft

Krafts, Foxborough in talks as rift cools

By Michele Morgan Bolton

| Globe Correspondent

John Tlumacki/Globe Staff/File

Development initiatives around Patriot Place are the subject of talks between Foxborough and the Kraft Group.

The rift appears to be healing between Foxborough and the Kraft Group following a public battle over a casino complex proposal this spring that damaged rapport between the town and its largest taxpayer.

Representatives of several municipal boards have been meeting with the Krafts, owners of Gillette Stadium and the New England Patriots football team, as part of a committee formed to hash out several initiatives, concessions, and zoning changes the company hopes will boost its economic development goals along Route 1.

Headlining the talks are Kraft requests for the town to supply eight new liquor licenses to Patriot Place, the upscale mall next to the stadium, and zoning changes that would allow development of 300 housing units in four-story building clusters near the stadium. One of the liquor licenses would be designated for a second hotel at Patriot Place and would bring the total at the Kraft properties to 25, officials said.

Foxborough Town Manager Kevin Paicos said the proposed hotel is “a fantastic opportunity” for the town, although he said he doesn’t know which one in particular might come.

“Obviously, the Kraft organization doesn’t do anything in a small way, so it will be a major chain,’’ he said.

• Most of the requests from the Krafts would require townwide approval, like proposed zoning changes at Patriot Place to allow multiple family housing.

The Krafts are still the town’s biggest partners, Paicos said, despite the recent discord. “I think it’s perfectly reasonable to have a conversation. In fact, I couldn’t be more optimistic,” he said.

Foxborough Police Chief Edward O’Leary, who has worked to curb rampant underage and other binge drinking at events at Gillette Stadium and elsewhere around town, said he had no comment on the Krafts’ request for more liquor licenses.

“Our town manager does not want us to speculate or comment about the work that is being done at this time,’’ he said in an e-mail.

How is Paicos not repeated the mistakes of the past by preventing a public discussion and imposing a Gag Order?
Krafts discuss idea in private at stadium
Back Room Deals in Foxborough
Foxboro: This is how silencing the public begins

Paicos said the Krafts have worked hard to protect patrons at the stadium. “They have been good partners,’’ he said. “I think Ed would agree.”

From: Foxborough: When Ignorance Isn't Bliss
In the forefront is work to curb the binge drinking that has plagued game and event days at the stadium and elsewhere in town that results in more than 1,000 protective custodies for Foxborough police a year.

O’Leary, Selectwoman Lorraine Brue, and others on a study committee have spent the past year developing revisions for Foxborough’s liquor restrictions, which they will present at a Jan. 24 selectmen’s meeting.



The company has pledged to fund the position of a new public safety coordinator to promote alcohol awareness, according to a list of requests it submitted to the committee for consideration.

It would also pay to train local law enforcement if the licenses are granted. Such a move would require a Town Meeting vote, as well as approval from the state Legislature.

Most of the requests from the Krafts would require townwide approval, like proposed zoning changes at Patriot Place to allow multiple family housing. They would also use the new liquor licenses to bring in a bowling center, and a Mexican and Japanese restaurant, for example.

Company officials have said adding six restaurants would boost the meals tax paid annually to the town by about $130,000.

Foxborough had already received nearly $667,000 in meals tax revenue as of July, topping the $602,000 the state Department of Revenue has estimated it would receive for the first year the local tax program has been in place.

The Krafts are also offering an olive branch to the community to equally share the profits from a pair of billboards and a water tower along Route 1, a former source of contention that landed the parties briefly in federal court.

Under the new plan, the take for each is estimated at $100,000 a year.

Kraft officials would also resolve another longstanding feud by paying the town $300,000 annually for 25 years to join a proposed regional sewer authority with Mansfield and Norton.

On the flip side, the Krafts want to amend their stadium lease to slightly reduce the town’s share of ticket sales for concerts and some other events, except for Patriots games and regular soccer events.

 That would allow the organization the flexibility to bring in more business, Paicos said.

The company also proposes to hold any increases to the commercial parking lot operators’ fees to the current rate of inflation, according to the list of requests that, if approved, would form a Memorandum of Understanding between the two parties.

Jeff Cournoyer, a spokesman for the Kraft Group, declined comment on the overtures the company has made to the town, citing “ongoing face-to-face discussions with the committee” in an e-mail.

As they discuss the issues, members of the new panel will decide which ones, if any, to bring back to their respective boards for discussion, selectmen chairman James DeVellis said.

The members are Selectwoman Lynda Walsh, Planning Board chairman Kevin Weinfeld, Water and Sewer Commission chairman Bill Euerle, and Foxborough resident David Brown, who recently served on a town panel to update alcohol policies.

The Krafts are also asking for the town to support an effort to bring a fulltime commuter rail station to the mall property, along with a multimillion-dollar pedestrian footbridge across busy Route 1, both issues that have been raised before.

Cities and Towns along the commuter rail line will subsidize Bob Kraft for the annual loss of this rail line. Such a deal!

From: Plan to extend commuter rail to Foxboro drawing negative response
A Nov. 1 letter to Mirick by Foxboro Town Manager Kevin Paicos said local residents have raised a number of concerns relating to extension of train service "not the least of which was the perception that this study was developed and drafted without consultation with any Foxboro officials."

A letter signed by members of the Walpole Board of Selectmen on Dec. 1 called the study "misleading" and said it appeared to be focused on extending trains from the existing Fairmount Line from Readville to Foxboro rather than restoring service along the Interstate-495 beltway. The selectmen also questioned the report's $1.7 million annual operating cost estimate for a pilot program and cited "discrepancies" in the number of riders estimated in the proposal versus a much smaller number forecast in the 2010 MBTA report.
“mad at every level”

Bob Kraft's Footbridge

From: Krafts keeping mum on casino plan
With engineering assistance from the Kraft Group, the town recently applied for an $8 million MassWorks Infrastructure Grant to build a footbridge over Route 1, linking the Patriot Place and stadium complex to the parcels Kraft has targeted for development of an office complex and convention center.


DeVellis characterized the Kraft document as a wish list, and a starting place for negotiation. He said the company has also pledged $10,000 to fund attorneys’ fees and other costs that may come up during the review.

“It’s an ambitious list, and the committee will look at how and if it benefits the town,’’ DeVellis said.

If an item on the list isn’t a benefit, he said, it won’t be happening.

“This committee will have the backbone to say no,’’ he said.

At the same time, he added, if members find places of common interest and there is something that can benefit the Krafts? “That is good, too.”


http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/regionals/south/2012/08/18/foxborough-krafts-hash-over-development-proposals/gteaspRF4B5wqjD9auhj9K/story.html

Kraft Group Pays $1 Million For $400,000 Walpole Property

Kraft Group Pays $1 Million For $400,000 Walpole Property Near Gillette Stadium

May 17, 2012

 

FOXBORO (CBS) – A recent purchase by the Kraft Group in Foxboro is raising some eyebrows in the neighboring town of Walpole.

The sale was completed just before residents of Foxboro voted in a town election that showed they were not in favor a proposed destination casino on land across from Gillette Stadium.

The property sits on a private way in Walpole and abuts the parking lot where that casino would have been placed. That private way connects to a public road in Walpole.

The property is assessed at just over $400,000, but the Kraft Group paid nearly $1.2 million for it.
The Kraft Group had no comment when asked about the sale Wednesday.

Officials in Walpole told WBZ-TV they plan to look into the sale and try to determine what the Kraft Group has planned for the property.

 

http://boston.cbslocal.com/2012/05/17/kraft-group-pays-1-million-for-400000-walpole-property-near-gillette-stadium/

Foxboro town manager on the hot seat

Foxboro town manager on the hot seat

BY FRANK MORTIMER SUN CHRONICLE STAFF

Monday, May 14, 2012

 

 

Foxboro Town Manager Kevin Paicos. (Staff photo by Martin Gavin)

FOXBORO - Some casino opponents may view him as a welcome defender of the town.

For those who saw jobs and revenue for Foxboro in the Wynn Resorts plan, he may have seemed an obstacle.

But as selectmen prepare to complete their annual performance reviews for Town Manager Kevin Paicos, there are no heroes or villains - just a manager who, board members say, weathered a brutal year with other town officials and residents.

The past 12 months were marked by freak storms, power outages, a divisive casino issue, and a Kraft Group lawsuit against the town - which has since been dropped - related to billboards on Route 1.

Briefly discussing the performance evaluation process last week, selectmen Chairman James DeVellis said former board member Larry Harrington's individual evaluation of Paicos will be part of that process.

Harrington publicly excoriated Paicos in a board meeting early this month.

The board hired Paicos in the fall of 2010, on a 4-1 vote, with member Lorraine Brue alone in opposition.

Since then, she has often supported Paicos. Harrington, who strongly supported the hire, more recently butted heads with Paicos, notably over the billboards controversy.

Paicos' contract runs to June 30, 2014.

Asked to comment on the inclusion of Harrington's review of Paicos in the evaluation process, Brue said she may request placing the matter of Harrington's involvement on the board's next agenda, on May 24.

"I'd like to discuss the process in a little more detail," Brue said.

Board members will be meeting with Paicos individually this week to provide him with their written evaluations, Brue said.

DeVellis will compile evaluations from the board, and create a composite review.

He and member Lynda Walsh developed a new evaluation form, a format Paicos agreed to.

At a recent selectmen's meeting, member Mark Sullivan offered Paicos reassurances that he would received a fair evaluation - one that takes into consideration how difficult the task of managing the town has been over the past 12 months.

The board will publicly discuss the evaluation at some point after the writeups are given to him.

The individual evaluations by board members become a public record.

 

http://www.thesunchronicle.com/articles/2012/05/14/news/11483314.txt

Governor Slot Barns Endorses Corruption

Candidate "Slot Barns" offered the meaningless promise to end the 'Big Dig Culture,' even as he schmoozed with Big Dig lobbyists.

Governor Slot Barns then conducted back room meetings and made secret promises about Gambling Legislation - one in particular benefited his generous supporter, Bob Kraft by moving the line on the map to include the recently defeated Foxboro Kraft/Wynn Folly.

Governor Slot Barns agreed to support an INDEPENDENT COST ANALYSIS of Predatory Gambling and developed amnesia after re-election [by a plurality, thanks to Tim Cahill]. It is unclear whether the amnesia struck before or after he met with the Pokassets and promises them a Slot Barn in Freetown, even denying it in an email.

And now this????  Endorsing corruption? Maybe Governor Slot Barns hasn't figured out the uproar regarding a campaigner he reinstated without investigating charges in Florida.

But then he profited from Predatory Lending, why not profit from Predatory Gambling? As long as you suck money from the poor, it's OK with Slot Barns Patrick!

Deval Patrick vetoes mandated background checks for future Massachusetts gaming employees

http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2012/05/deval_patrick_vetoes_mandated.html

Published: Friday, May 11, 2012, 10:31 PM

By State House News ServiceThe Republican
By MATT MURPHY
BOSTON — Gov. Deval Patrick on Friday vetoed portions of a spending bill sent to him this week by the House and Senate requiring the Gaming Commission to conduct full criminal background checks and drug screenings on future employees.

A day after it arrived on his desk, Patrick signed a $72 million mid-year spending bill that included additional funding for public assistance for low-income disabled residents, family shelters, legal aid and youth jobs accounts that were in danger of running out of money before the fiscal year ends on June 30.

The governor, however, rejected amendments to the bill that were added during floor debate in the House and Senate this week in response to an outcry over the attempted hiring of C. Stanley McGee as the interim executive director of the Gaming Commission.

McGee, who works as an assistant economic development secretary in the Patrick administration, turned down the job after some lawmakers, child advocates and Treasurer Steven Grossman raised questions about his suitability for the post due to previously disclosed allegations that he sexually abused a teenaged boy in Florida in 2007. McGee was never charged, and settled a civil lawsuit with the boy’s family out of court.



Patrick struck the two sections of the bill that would have made criminal history checks, urine screenings and state police approved fingerprints and photographs a prerequisite for employment at the Gaming Commission. The bill also would have required background and credit checks.

“While the importance of thorough background investigations is unquestioned and already provided for the by the recently enacted legislation establishing the Gaming Commission, the highest levels of background checks and screening may not be necessary nor appropriate for every employee,” Patrick wrote in his veto letter to the House and Senate.

“Under the current law, the Gaming Commission has the discretion to make those decisions,” Patrick continued.  NOT ACCEPTABLE!

House Minority Leader Brad Jones, who offered the amendment in the House to require the background checks, said by vetoing provisions in the bill that had broad support among Democrats and Republicans, the governor was taking full responsibility for the commission’s future hires.

“I think it’s disappointing. Even the governor has acknowledged the commission suffers from a lack of focus and I think that’s why we put this forth. Now he says they have all the tools they need, but they haven’t done the job even though they have the tools. Any missteps going forward fall on the doorstep of the governor,” Jones said.

Rep. Daniel Winslow, a Norfolk Republican, went further warning that the governor’s veto could open the door to corruption. Winslow announced this week that he had hired a private investigator with his own campaign funds to look into the McGee case, but dropped that pursuit when McGee stepped down from the director’s position.

“Given the recent history of corruption on Beacon Hill, the House and Senate were clearly concerned that we need to have the highest degree of integrity for all employees of the Gaming Commission. Leaving weak links in the chain is an invitation for criminal interests to take advantage of every opportunity,” Winslow said Friday, citing the past hiring of reputed mobster James “Whitey” Bulger as a custodian in Suffolk Superior Court as an example of what could go wrong.

Patrick on Thursday lamented what he described as distractions that have taken the focus of the Gaming Commission off the main task of implementing expanded casino gambling in Massachusetts. He urged the commission to refocus itself “promptly.”

The governor’s communications director Brendan Ryan, however, said requiring all employees, even secretaries, to undergo drug and police background checks was unnecessary.

“The administration agrees that every hire needs to be of the highest integrity, but mandating urine test for every potential receptionist seems like an overreach. The commission has the tools it needs to do the job it needs to do,” Ryan said.

Asked whether receptionist should be put through the same screening process as high-level employees, Jones said, “Conceivably no, but it doesn’t seem to this point that their high level employees had gone through that either. We want to create a scenario that’s above reproach, and so far they haven’t acted above reproach so that’s why we have to act.”

According to the Gaming Commission, McGee was already undergoing a State Police background check as a condition of his employment before he formally withdrew from the position on Wednesday.

“The commission appreciates that the governor recognized that provisions of this law as passed by the Legislature are already both comprehensive and effective,” said Karen Schwartzman, a spokeswoman for the Gaming Commission.

Developer and Robert Kraft abandon Foxboro casino bid

Developer and Robert Kraft abandon Foxboro casino bid

Patriot Ledger staff and news services

Posted May 09, 2012

 

FOXBORO —

Plans to bring a $1 billion resort-style casino to Foxboro have been shelved following decisive victories by two anti-casino candidates in Monday’s town election.

The announcement by The Kraft Group and Wynn Resorts came a day after Foxboro voters elected two selectman candidates who opposed opening negotiations with developer Steve Wynn. The Las Vegas-based casino mogul had wanted to build the resort on land leased from New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft across Route 1 from Gillette Stadium.

Four of the five selectmen will be opposed to a casino in the town, instead of three out of five. A selectman who supported considering the casino was unseated in the election.

The state Legislature passed a law last year that legalized casino gambling in Massachusetts. Under it, a prospective casino developer must first negotiate with local officials in the municipality where the casino would be built.

The Kraft Group issued a statement saying the town’s citizens have spoken, via the results of Monday’s election: “As we originally committed, we have heard them and respect their collective voice.”

Stephanie Crimmins, who founded the group No Foxboro Casino in December, said members of the organization were thrilled by the news.

“We were hopeful that this would happen, but none of us expected this to happen as quickly as it did,” she said.

The proposal’s suspension bolsters a plan for a resort casino at the Suffolk Downs horse racing track in East Boston. That plan would have had to compete with the Foxboro proposal for the sole casino license that will be available in the Greater Boston/Central Massachusetts area. A rival casino project has also been proposed in Milford.

Chip Tuttle, Suffolk Downs’ chief operating officer, said the horse track operators’ approach to winning a casino license won’t change. He said the focus will be on working with local residents to make sure the proposal would provide jobs and bring road improvements and tourism growth.

The casino law allows for three resort casinos and one slots parlor. The three casino licenses will be divvied up among three regions: Greater Boston, Southeastern Massachusetts and Western Massachusetts. The law put Foxboro and the rest of Norfolk County in the Greater Boston region.

Read more: http://www.patriotledger.com/topstories/x1456178858/Developer-and-Robert-Kraft-abandon-Foxboro-casino-bid#ixzz1uNR7wAQI

Congratulations Foxboro!

'It's the only reason I'm here'
BY MATT KAKLEY SUN CHRONICLE STAFF
Tuesday, May 8, 2012



Ahern Middle School was a busy place on Monday as over 50 percent of Foxboro voters filed in to cast ballots for two selectmen seats, among other posts. (Staff photo by Mark Stockwell)

Proposed casino weighs heavily on turnout, race

FOXBORO - The ballot said it was a race to fill two seats on the board of selectmen. But for voters, Monday's election was really a non-binding referendum on a proposed Route 1 casino.

"It's the only reason I'm here," Alan Sweeney said after casting his ballot for Lorraine Brue and Ginny Coppola, who campaigned in opposition to the proposal from Las Vegas developer Steve Wynn and New England Patriots' owner Robert Kraft.

Sweeney said he opposed the proposal because he'd been unable to find evidence of an existing casino benefiting its host community.

"You can't win against the house," he said.

The view was a popular one Monday: Brue and Coppola were easily elected over Selectman Larry Harrington and school committee member Martha Slattery, who were in favor of negotiating a deal with Wynn and letting voters decide the issue in a binding referendum.

Don Jenkins, of Fletcher Street, formerly lived in Montville, Conn., where he said the arrival of the Mohegan Sun casino changed the town forever.

"I saw what it did to that community, and I don't want to see the same thing happen to Foxboro," said Jenkins, who voted for Brue and Coppola.

Jenkins said he saw an increase in crime and other problems when Mohegan Sun opened.

"Gambling causes problems for people," he said.

Sue Dring said she voted for Brue and Coppola chiefly because of their opposition to the casino, which she said would wreak havoc in town.

"My main concern is the traffic," she said. "There's nothing you can do to prevent the traffic."

For Bridget Dunn, a mother of six on Faxon Street, the prospect of a casino would bring down the town, so she voted for Coppola and Brue.

"I'm afraid it will change the integrity of the town," she said. "I like it the way it is."
There were many voters, however, who said they were in favor of the casino or at least wanted to hear more about it.

"The townspeople should be making educated decisions about the future of the town," Ellen Katseroubas, of Villa Drive, said after she voted for Harrington and Slattery.

Katseroubas said she'd like to vote directly on the proposal, rather than have selectmen make the decision for the town.

Cindy Khalifa, of Birch Tree Road, voted for Harrington and Slattery because she thought the revenue a casino would bring would help Foxboro repair town hall, boost the school department and lower property taxes.

"People will move out because the taxes are too high," she said. "If we don't have the school, people won't come."

The one thing voters on both sides of the debate could agree on, however, was that the intense campaign, which at times felt more like a presidential election than a local race, was something to behold.

"I've never seen anything like it," Sweeney said.

Say No to Foxboro Casino

Snippet: Coppola shared the stance, and pointedly noted that the town voted in zoning that disallows gaming for a very good reason: People don’t want it in Foxborough. She said it was appropriate for the Board of Selectmen earlier in December to vote against considering a host community agreement, which would be required before a casino could be sited in town, and against entertaining a formal casino discussion.

http://www.wickedlocal.com/foxborough/news/x1266597198/Candidates-against-the-casino-win-Foxborough-selectmens-seats?zc_p=1#axzz1uGFI3nkf

From State House News Service [all 'casino' news]:

Foxboro elects two candidates who oppose casino plans - Boston News, Massachusettts News, WHDH-TV 7NEWS WHDH.COM

Casino foes prevail in Foxborough vote - Metro - The Boston Globe

Casino a hot issue in Foxborough election - Taunton, MA - The Taunton Daily Gazette

Aquinnah Wampanoag tribe meets with Freetown residents, officials for forum - - WickedLocal.com

Casino foes Brue and Coppola win Foxboro selectmen's race - The Sun Chronicle Online - News

'It's the only reason I'm here' - The Sun Chronicle Online - News

Foxboro speaks - The Sun Chronicle Online - News

Penn National Gaming interested in Westfield site for casino | masslive.com

Aquinnah tout casino benefits | CapeCodOnline.com

Mass. town's vote sends anti-casino message - AP

Anti-casino Foxboro voters leave little to chance - BostonHerald.com