Showing posts with label Senator James Timilty. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Senator James Timilty. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
So far, state casino bill doing so-so
So far, state casino bill doing so-so
Posted: Tuesday, November 26, 2013
BY JIM HAND SUN CHRONICLE STAFF
The gambling facilities would spur construction, attract tourists and provided badly needed jobs in three regions of the state encompassing Boston, Southeastern Massachusetts and Western Massachusetts.
The competition would force the firms to promise more in the form of benefits and revenue to the state and host communities.
But, little has gone according to plan since then.
Four communities across the state have used local referendums called for in the bill to kill casinos. Other towns, such as Foxboro, have driven developers away before the issue could come to a vote.
And the state Gaming Commission has uncovered information that has torpedoed the plans of two applicants.
As a result, there are no firms competing for a gambling license within the City of Boston, the state's largest city and its capital of tourism.
There is only one gambling outfit still looking to build in Western Massachusetts.
It has also been noted that wealthier communities, such as Foxboro, which has 5 percent unemployment, are turning down gambling, while less affluent towns, such as Plainville with its 8.8 percent unemployment, are willing to accept it.
Massachusetts is finding out that although a recent poll showed 61 percent of voters favor legalized gambling, far fewer are willing to host it in their town.
"People say, 'It's a great idea, but not if it's in my backyard,'" said state Rep. Steven Howitt, R-Seekonk.
Far from blaming the law the Legislature passed, Howitt said the casino bill is working exactly the way it was designed.
Gambling would be allowed in the state, but only in areas where residents approved of it, he said.
Rather than have state government dictate where casinos would be located, it was left up to the communities to decide, he said.
"Towns that don't want that opportunity, don't have to have it," he said.
Gov. Deval Patrick expressed a similiar view about it last week.
"I think it is working exactly as it was supposed to, which was to authorize up to three destination resort licenses and one slots parlor, and to let people make their own decisions about whether they want the facilities in their own communities," the governor said.
Patrick, who supported the bill and signed it into law, surprised some last week when he said he would not want a casino in his hometown.
State Sen. James Timilty, D-Walpole, also said he does not regret his support for the casino bill.
The problem, as he sees it, is Massachusetts waited too long to approve gambling, letting other states get a leg up. As a result, he said, the market is diluted.
Casino developers have also made the mistake of trying to locate in residential suburbs such as Foxboro, where they are not wanted.
"Foxboro wasn't the right place for it," he said.
A better place for a casino would have been in South Boston's seaport district, near the convention center, because that is a natural location for tourism, he said.
[State Senator James Timilty apparently wasn't paying attention when there was a proposal to locate a casino in South Boston.]
A proposal by Wynn Resorts for a casino across from Gillette Stadium was withdrawn after the town elected anti-casino candidates to the board of selectmen in May 2012.
Since then, Palmer, East Boston, West Springfield and Milford have rejected gambling proposals while another in Millbury was withdrawn because of opposition.
Tewksbury killed a slots parlor proposal by voting down a rezoning request.
Springfield, Everett and Revere have approved casino proposals, but the Revere plans have run into another type of trouble.
Caesar's Entertainment has pulled out of the Revere project at Suffolk Downs because of questions raised by a background check. Revere was also supposed to share the Suffolk Downs development with neighboring East Boston, but East Boston rejected the plan.
Now Suffolk Downs officials are trying to figure out if the entire project can be moved into the Revere portion of the racetrack and they are looking for a new partner to run the operation.
All that means the Gaming Commission will have little to choose from when it votes on who will get licenses.
Commission Chairman Steve Crosby has said several times one of his goals was to promote competition for licenses so taxpayers would get the best deal and the strongest plan would get approved.
Howitt said if the commission does not have solid bids for all three casino licenses, it would not bother him if it only grants one or two licenses.
The one area that has boosted strong competition is for the lone slots parlor license.
Penn National Gaming wants to add 1,250 slot machines to Plainridge Racecourse on Route 1 in Plainville. George Carney has proposed slots for his former dog track in Raynham and Cordish Companies is touting its own proposal for Leominister.
The slots license will be first up for a decision by the commission. It originally planned to vote on the matter next month, but more recently Crosby has been saying it may have to wait until January.
What happens after that is anyone's guess.
http://www.thesunchronicle.com/news/local_news/so-far-state-casino-bill-doing-so-so/article_5a1ff6c0-25a5-5663-ada3-86b50d3091df.html
Friday, January 27, 2012
“mad at every level”
Grab a seat and watch the unfolding of backroom deals and political corruption crafted on Beacon Hill to subsidize the Kraft/Wynn deal in Foxborough at the expense of Massachusetts taxpayers.
Transportation heads: Gillette rail plan through Walpole 'not a focus'.
By Veronica Hamlett and Dave Eisenstadter
Walpole Times
WALPOLE — The MBTA is still mum on any plans to increase commuter rail service to Foxboro via Medfield and Walpole.
In the midst of a $161 million budget and the possibility of increasing fares and reducing services, Transportation Secretary Richard Davey and MBTA acting general manager Jonathan Davis said at a Wicked Local editorial board meeting last Friday that their focus is on current projects and contracts, even though customers are calling for more.
“The MBTA has a problem that every company in America would want in that customers want more of us but we can’t deliver,” Davey said. “People want more or expanded service.”
The MBTA is working on securing a new contract for its current commuter rail services. Its contract with Massachusetts Bay Commuter Rail expires in June. Davis said the MBTA could entertain talks with a private entity willing to expand service.
“Thinking of longer term projects, perhaps we could give the opportunity to whoever the service provider is to invest their own capital and experience,” he said.
The Green Line extension to Tufts University and a South Coast rail line will continue as planned, as both are state obligations as part of the Big Dig, but neither will be paid for by the MBTA, according to Davis.
Worcester-based law firm Mirick O’Connell drafted a proposal for regular rail service from Boston to Foxboro on the Franklin line through Medfield and Walpole. The pilot program would still operate at a deficit of $1.4 million.
Local legislators are trying to prevent said expansion by amending the state budget. The senate passed an amendment last Friday 31-3 prohibiting the MBTA from expanding capital projects that would operate at a fiscal deficit. It also requires the MBTA to do a cost analysis study for any and all rail service expansion and to not proceed if the results come back unprofitable.
“This is an extremely important issue to Walpole and for the Commonwealth as a whole,” Sen. Jim Timilty (D-Walpole) said in a statement. “I share the concerns of an overwhelming number of constituents who have contacted me for months now, urging that we act appropriately on this matter. This is an issue of fiscal prudence, and it has to happen in a timely manner so that we do not add another generation of debt to our public transportation.”
Davis would not comment on the new legislation, which must now earn House approval.
“We’re committed to the green line and to South Coast rail and will not add to the debt burden the MBTA currently carries,” he said.
The MBTA is considering two proposals with different levels of fare increases and service reductions to close its $161 million budget gap. The first scenario would eliminate 60 bus routes and increase fares by an average of 43 percent. The second eliminates more than 200 bus routes, reduces the length of 11 others and would increase fares by an average of 35 percent.
The second plan eliminates the 34E bus from Walpole to Dedham.
Both plans discontinue all ferry routes, suspend all weekend trains and service after 10 p.m. on commuter rails and eliminate weekend service on the Mattapan line and Green Line E branch.
Neither plan is inevitable, but are instead being proposed to gauge what level of fare increases or service reductions customers are willing to endure, Davis said. The most drastic estimates predict a 17 percent reduction in ridership, or 94 million rides annually.
A series of public hearings are being held to gather feedback about the two proposals, including one in Framingham on Tuesday, Feb. 14 at Town Hall, from 6 to 8 p.m.
Read more: Transportation heads: Gillette rail plan through Walpole 'not a focus' - Walpole, MA - Wicked Local Walpole http://www.wickedlocal.com/walpole/news/x1672347278/Transportation-heads-Gillette-rail-plan-through-Walpole-not-a-focus#ixzz1khAtwi7Q
State Sen. Timilty rails against expanded train service in MetroWest
Senator Timilty talks about plans to expand the rail lines.
By Marc Filippino/Correspondent
Wicked Local Walpole
Posted Dec 23, 2011
WALPOLE — State Senator James Timilty is “mad at every level” at plans for a proposed commuter rail that would run through his home town of Walpole, and is looking to do everything in his power to stop it.
Timilty led a small group of reporters on a walk of the rail line near the South Walpole Post Office on Summer Street Tuesday. Along the way, he ripped the MBTA for its history of debt and questioned its ability to responsibly manage the finances of a proposed commuter rail expansion into Foxborough, Walpole, Medfield and throughout the MetroWest region.
Timilty cited a proposed pilot project’s projected $4 million annual operating loss as a sign that the project is doomed to fail.
“If [the MBTA] were a private sector agency, they’d fire everybody,” Timilty said. “30 percent of their operating budget goes to debt, and they’re thinking of spending upwards of $10 million to activate a line? They have some monumental challenges they need to deal with now.
“We were the first subway in America, and in an urban setting, we’re probably the worst,” he said. “Their systems are old and faulty, and if you’ve ever gone through Park Street, it’s a disaster.”
The controversy began in October when the Westborough-based law firm Mirick O’Connell proposed a pilot commuter rail expansion project, dubbed the 495 Rail Study, that focused on enhancing train service to Foxborough. The pilot program called for utilizing existing rail equipment, while seeing whether a long-term plan was feasible.
Walpole residents were immediately up in arms. Walpole is where the Foxborough spur splits off from the Franklin Line, and residents opposed having to bear the brunt of the constant noise from a high-speed train and the construction that would be associated with building a new rail line and station. Town officials even contacted John Mirick to register their complaints.
On Dec. 2, in a strongly worded letter to Jody Ray, director of railroad operations for the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, Rep. Dan Winslow objected to expanded commuter rail service to Foxborough on the grounds that it was a taxpayer giveaway to billionaire casino gambling interests.
Winslow called for a halt to any further discussions or planning until the impacts on surrounding towns of such a service increase could be assessed, and warned, “Not one thin dime of limited public money should be spent for the private benefit of billionaires in a private transaction.”
Timilty objected not only to the Foxborough pilot project, but to the entire notion of explanded commuter rail service in the MetroWest area.
He sees the plan becoming dangerously long-term and compared commuter rail expansion to the problems that plagued the “Big Dig” project in Boston, but on a smaller scale. The pilot project alone would cost an estimated $84 million, with $6 million more annually to operate it, according to the MBTA’s 2010 Foxborough Commuter Feasibility Study Report.
With projected stops in several Norfolk County towns including Medfield, Timilty said the construction would devastate local property values, repel businesses from the area, and damage the overall quality of life.
“The American dream is have control over your own property, and for the state to take it for the greater good, there needs to be a significant cause for that,” Timilty said, referring to the possibility that Massachusetts would acquire land needed for the expansion through eminent domain.
“I have to see what happens to these communities when you have these trains,” he said. “It’s not what we need and it’s not what we can afford.”
Currently in Walpole, freight trains traverse a one-track, north-south rail twice daily. Timilty sees this single track turning into a double track, which would bring the 40-mile-per-hour commuter rail through Walpole 16 times a day, disrupting residential areas and small businesses.
Brickman Group Landscaping is located on Summer Street in Walpole, no more than 25 yards from the tracks.
Kelly Page, an employee at Brickman, said she understands the usefulness of commuter rail, since all Brickman employees must now commute by car. But she also understands the frustration of Walpole citizens. When she was living at home in Northbridge, she said, nearby train traffic disrupted the household several times a day.
“When you have a property right next to a railroad,” she said, “it’s extremely annoying, especially if you have small kids and you’re trying to get them to go to bed at night. My daughter was only five years old when the railroad was going through Northbridge and that was only a couple of times a day.
“It was loud and it shook the entire neighborhood. We had cracks in the walls and cracks in the ceilings and damage to the house, so I can see why residents would not want it.”
Still others are not as stridently opposed to expanding commuter service as Timilty.
“The MBTA has been discussing this for a number of years,” said Paul Matthew, executive director of the 495/MetroWest Partnership, a public-private collaborative that encourages development in the region. Mirick O’Connell brought the 495 Rail Study to Matthew’s group for feedback and regional input while it was being developed.
Matthew said the casino issue raised by Winslow is a red herring. “I think the discussion started long before the casino proposal and will continue long after the casino proposal,” he said. He also said casinos usually attract a more affluent crowd, which is not dependent on public transportation. [but the low wage workers are dependent on less expensive public transportation at great cost to Massachusetts taxpayers]
Matthew said this public discussion is good for the community, since towns such as Walpole will be affected the most. However, he noted the outlines in the pilot program are not permanent, and that it will take decades before the 495 Rail Study is likely to become a reality.
Timilty put it more bluntly.
“It’s a pie in the sky idea,” he said. “If it was built 50 years down the road, it may not have any impact, but right now? Can we afford it? Is it necessary? On both accounts, I offer the most vehement ‘no’ I can get out.”
Read more: State Sen. Timilty rails against expanded train service in MetroWest - Walpole, MA - Wicked Local Walpole http://www.wickedlocal.com/walpole/news/x1980198478/State-Sen-Timilty-rails-against-expanded-train-service-in-MetroWest#ixzz1khBza7Mh
Transportation heads: Gillette rail plan through Walpole 'not a focus'.
By Veronica Hamlett and Dave Eisenstadter
Walpole Times
WALPOLE — The MBTA is still mum on any plans to increase commuter rail service to Foxboro via Medfield and Walpole.
In the midst of a $161 million budget and the possibility of increasing fares and reducing services, Transportation Secretary Richard Davey and MBTA acting general manager Jonathan Davis said at a Wicked Local editorial board meeting last Friday that their focus is on current projects and contracts, even though customers are calling for more.
“The MBTA has a problem that every company in America would want in that customers want more of us but we can’t deliver,” Davey said. “People want more or expanded service.”
The MBTA is working on securing a new contract for its current commuter rail services. Its contract with Massachusetts Bay Commuter Rail expires in June. Davis said the MBTA could entertain talks with a private entity willing to expand service.
“Thinking of longer term projects, perhaps we could give the opportunity to whoever the service provider is to invest their own capital and experience,” he said.
The Green Line extension to Tufts University and a South Coast rail line will continue as planned, as both are state obligations as part of the Big Dig, but neither will be paid for by the MBTA, according to Davis.
Worcester-based law firm Mirick O’Connell drafted a proposal for regular rail service from Boston to Foxboro on the Franklin line through Medfield and Walpole. The pilot program would still operate at a deficit of $1.4 million.
Local legislators are trying to prevent said expansion by amending the state budget. The senate passed an amendment last Friday 31-3 prohibiting the MBTA from expanding capital projects that would operate at a fiscal deficit. It also requires the MBTA to do a cost analysis study for any and all rail service expansion and to not proceed if the results come back unprofitable.
“This is an extremely important issue to Walpole and for the Commonwealth as a whole,” Sen. Jim Timilty (D-Walpole) said in a statement. “I share the concerns of an overwhelming number of constituents who have contacted me for months now, urging that we act appropriately on this matter. This is an issue of fiscal prudence, and it has to happen in a timely manner so that we do not add another generation of debt to our public transportation.”
Davis would not comment on the new legislation, which must now earn House approval.
“We’re committed to the green line and to South Coast rail and will not add to the debt burden the MBTA currently carries,” he said.
The MBTA is considering two proposals with different levels of fare increases and service reductions to close its $161 million budget gap. The first scenario would eliminate 60 bus routes and increase fares by an average of 43 percent. The second eliminates more than 200 bus routes, reduces the length of 11 others and would increase fares by an average of 35 percent.
The second plan eliminates the 34E bus from Walpole to Dedham.
Both plans discontinue all ferry routes, suspend all weekend trains and service after 10 p.m. on commuter rails and eliminate weekend service on the Mattapan line and Green Line E branch.
Neither plan is inevitable, but are instead being proposed to gauge what level of fare increases or service reductions customers are willing to endure, Davis said. The most drastic estimates predict a 17 percent reduction in ridership, or 94 million rides annually.
A series of public hearings are being held to gather feedback about the two proposals, including one in Framingham on Tuesday, Feb. 14 at Town Hall, from 6 to 8 p.m.
Read more: Transportation heads: Gillette rail plan through Walpole 'not a focus' - Walpole, MA - Wicked Local Walpole http://www.wickedlocal.com/walpole/news/x1672347278/Transportation-heads-Gillette-rail-plan-through-Walpole-not-a-focus#ixzz1khAtwi7Q
State Sen. Timilty rails against expanded train service in MetroWest
Senator Timilty talks about plans to expand the rail lines.
By Marc Filippino/Correspondent
Wicked Local Walpole
Posted Dec 23, 2011
WALPOLE — State Senator James Timilty is “mad at every level” at plans for a proposed commuter rail that would run through his home town of Walpole, and is looking to do everything in his power to stop it.
Timilty led a small group of reporters on a walk of the rail line near the South Walpole Post Office on Summer Street Tuesday. Along the way, he ripped the MBTA for its history of debt and questioned its ability to responsibly manage the finances of a proposed commuter rail expansion into Foxborough, Walpole, Medfield and throughout the MetroWest region.
Timilty cited a proposed pilot project’s projected $4 million annual operating loss as a sign that the project is doomed to fail.
“If [the MBTA] were a private sector agency, they’d fire everybody,” Timilty said. “30 percent of their operating budget goes to debt, and they’re thinking of spending upwards of $10 million to activate a line? They have some monumental challenges they need to deal with now.
“We were the first subway in America, and in an urban setting, we’re probably the worst,” he said. “Their systems are old and faulty, and if you’ve ever gone through Park Street, it’s a disaster.”
The controversy began in October when the Westborough-based law firm Mirick O’Connell proposed a pilot commuter rail expansion project, dubbed the 495 Rail Study, that focused on enhancing train service to Foxborough. The pilot program called for utilizing existing rail equipment, while seeing whether a long-term plan was feasible.
Walpole residents were immediately up in arms. Walpole is where the Foxborough spur splits off from the Franklin Line, and residents opposed having to bear the brunt of the constant noise from a high-speed train and the construction that would be associated with building a new rail line and station. Town officials even contacted John Mirick to register their complaints.
On Dec. 2, in a strongly worded letter to Jody Ray, director of railroad operations for the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, Rep. Dan Winslow objected to expanded commuter rail service to Foxborough on the grounds that it was a taxpayer giveaway to billionaire casino gambling interests.
Winslow called for a halt to any further discussions or planning until the impacts on surrounding towns of such a service increase could be assessed, and warned, “Not one thin dime of limited public money should be spent for the private benefit of billionaires in a private transaction.”
Timilty objected not only to the Foxborough pilot project, but to the entire notion of explanded commuter rail service in the MetroWest area.
He sees the plan becoming dangerously long-term and compared commuter rail expansion to the problems that plagued the “Big Dig” project in Boston, but on a smaller scale. The pilot project alone would cost an estimated $84 million, with $6 million more annually to operate it, according to the MBTA’s 2010 Foxborough Commuter Feasibility Study Report.
With projected stops in several Norfolk County towns including Medfield, Timilty said the construction would devastate local property values, repel businesses from the area, and damage the overall quality of life.
“The American dream is have control over your own property, and for the state to take it for the greater good, there needs to be a significant cause for that,” Timilty said, referring to the possibility that Massachusetts would acquire land needed for the expansion through eminent domain.
“I have to see what happens to these communities when you have these trains,” he said. “It’s not what we need and it’s not what we can afford.”
Currently in Walpole, freight trains traverse a one-track, north-south rail twice daily. Timilty sees this single track turning into a double track, which would bring the 40-mile-per-hour commuter rail through Walpole 16 times a day, disrupting residential areas and small businesses.
Brickman Group Landscaping is located on Summer Street in Walpole, no more than 25 yards from the tracks.
Kelly Page, an employee at Brickman, said she understands the usefulness of commuter rail, since all Brickman employees must now commute by car. But she also understands the frustration of Walpole citizens. When she was living at home in Northbridge, she said, nearby train traffic disrupted the household several times a day.
“When you have a property right next to a railroad,” she said, “it’s extremely annoying, especially if you have small kids and you’re trying to get them to go to bed at night. My daughter was only five years old when the railroad was going through Northbridge and that was only a couple of times a day.
“It was loud and it shook the entire neighborhood. We had cracks in the walls and cracks in the ceilings and damage to the house, so I can see why residents would not want it.”
Still others are not as stridently opposed to expanding commuter service as Timilty.
“The MBTA has been discussing this for a number of years,” said Paul Matthew, executive director of the 495/MetroWest Partnership, a public-private collaborative that encourages development in the region. Mirick O’Connell brought the 495 Rail Study to Matthew’s group for feedback and regional input while it was being developed.
Matthew said the casino issue raised by Winslow is a red herring. “I think the discussion started long before the casino proposal and will continue long after the casino proposal,” he said. He also said casinos usually attract a more affluent crowd, which is not dependent on public transportation. [but the low wage workers are dependent on less expensive public transportation at great cost to Massachusetts taxpayers]
Matthew said this public discussion is good for the community, since towns such as Walpole will be affected the most. However, he noted the outlines in the pilot program are not permanent, and that it will take decades before the 495 Rail Study is likely to become a reality.
Timilty put it more bluntly.
“It’s a pie in the sky idea,” he said. “If it was built 50 years down the road, it may not have any impact, but right now? Can we afford it? Is it necessary? On both accounts, I offer the most vehement ‘no’ I can get out.”
Read more: State Sen. Timilty rails against expanded train service in MetroWest - Walpole, MA - Wicked Local Walpole http://www.wickedlocal.com/walpole/news/x1980198478/State-Sen-Timilty-rails-against-expanded-train-service-in-MetroWest#ixzz1khBza7Mh
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Gaming foes personalize opposition
There is a photo of State Senator James Timility, D-Walpole attending the information event held in Foxborough without any indication of his intent.
The Senator voted to support expanded gambling legislation each time.
Was it simply a photo op or was the good Senator gathering the information he should have gathered prior to his vote? Did he incorrectly believe it wouldn't effect his district? Did he incorrectly believe his constituents would support Predatory Gambling in their community?
Gaming foes personalize opposition
BY LAUREN CARTER SUN CHRONICLE STAFF
FOXBORO - Initially, Monica Staaf was indifferent to the idea of a casino in Foxboro. A self-described "Libertarian," Staaf is not opposed to gambling, lives across town from the proposed site of the resort casino, and felt that the issue might affect other residents in town, but not her.
"To be honest, my first reaction was 'I don't care,' " Staaf said.
Then, just before Thanksgiving, Staaf was invited to a paid focus group about a Foxboro casino conducted by a market research firm in Dedham. At the focus group, she heard arguments on both sides of the issue, and the discussion prompted her to do her own research.
Google searches about the effect of Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods on surrounding communities in Connecticut began to tilt her feelings on a casino in her hometown.
"When I did that I just said, 'Oh my gosh, this is bad news,' " Staaf said. "That's when I thought, 'Wow, I don't think I'm for this at all.' " State Sen. James Timility, D-Walpole, left, speaks with Natalia Stasiewicz, Trish Mitchell, and Collin Earnst, all of Foxboro, at Saturday’s informational open house held Saturday by the No Foxboro Casino group at the Union Church Fellowship Hall.Staaf, a 51-year-old lawyer who said she has never gotten involved in town issues before, has since made her stance on the issue clear. She has written letters to selectmen and to The Sun Chronicle, and posted anti-casino signs on her lawn, one of which she said was stolen just before Christmas.
Staaf came to an informational open house at Union Church Fellowship Hall on Saturday afternoon - which she described as a "mini-convention" - to pick up another sign and put faces to the names she has come to associate with the anti-casino movement.
"I've seen a lot of names on blogs and heard people talking at meetings," Staaf said. "It's just good to put a name to a face. I think it's amazing that this group leapt into action so quickly. It's impressive."
The anti-casino movement may not be able to compete financially with the well-funded PR machine of Las Vegas mogul Steve Wynn, who has proposed the resort casino on Route 1 across from Gillette Stadium, so it opts for a personal touch.
Saturday's open house included coffee, tea and homemade cookies. There were lawn signs, stickers and business cards, as well as fact sheets, surveys and a print version of the online petition asking Robert Kraft to withdraw his proposal for a casino, which currently has about 1,700 signatures.
Visitors looking to get more involved could donate to the cause or sign up to volunteer. An "information and listening" section was designed to invite discussion about controversial topics that residents may be hesitant to talk about with their neighbors. "They're info and listening tables," said Chris Lowey, No Foxboro Casino's volunteer coordinator. "They're not us preaching."
Lowey said that with the snowy conditions on Saturday, volunteers weren't expecting much of a turnout and hoped for a handful of people.
Instead, an estimated 40 to 50 people came through, including state Sen. James Timilty, D-Walpole.
The open house is the first of several more planned as a way to personalize the anti-casino cause and reach those who may not be computer savvy and "wired-in" to the movement's online outreach efforts.
"That's a lot of people, and that's what initiated this whole thing," said Lowey. "We really wanted to reach people who were not necessarily online, and we really want to put a face to the organization, to who we are, so people can see we're neighbors."
Spokeswoman Holly Steel said the open house was also a way to make first contact with people who are undecided and want more information.
Most of those who stopped by on the snowy Saturday afternoon hailed from Foxboro, but residents from neighboring towns came by as well.
Janice McCarty, 52, of Norfolk came looking for signs and information she hopes to share with fellow Norfolk residents, many of whom believe the issue is dead after Foxboro selectmen voted 3-2 against the casino.
"I feel somewhat helpless right now," McCarty said. "I feel like the more education I can get, that maybe in conversations with people I know, I can fill people in."
McCarty said that with distance from the proposed casino seems to come a sense of indifference about the outcome, but she feels the issue is close to home.
"I think people are not aware that even if it's not near your house, it's still going to have an impact on your life," McCarty said. "I feel like if the casino goes up and I've not done anything about it, I have no right to squawk about it."
The Senator voted to support expanded gambling legislation each time.
Was it simply a photo op or was the good Senator gathering the information he should have gathered prior to his vote? Did he incorrectly believe it wouldn't effect his district? Did he incorrectly believe his constituents would support Predatory Gambling in their community?
Gaming foes personalize opposition
BY LAUREN CARTER SUN CHRONICLE STAFF
FOXBORO - Initially, Monica Staaf was indifferent to the idea of a casino in Foxboro. A self-described "Libertarian," Staaf is not opposed to gambling, lives across town from the proposed site of the resort casino, and felt that the issue might affect other residents in town, but not her.
"To be honest, my first reaction was 'I don't care,' " Staaf said.
Then, just before Thanksgiving, Staaf was invited to a paid focus group about a Foxboro casino conducted by a market research firm in Dedham. At the focus group, she heard arguments on both sides of the issue, and the discussion prompted her to do her own research.
Google searches about the effect of Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods on surrounding communities in Connecticut began to tilt her feelings on a casino in her hometown.
"When I did that I just said, 'Oh my gosh, this is bad news,' " Staaf said. "That's when I thought, 'Wow, I don't think I'm for this at all.' " State Sen. James Timility, D-Walpole, left, speaks with Natalia Stasiewicz, Trish Mitchell, and Collin Earnst, all of Foxboro, at Saturday’s informational open house held Saturday by the No Foxboro Casino group at the Union Church Fellowship Hall.Staaf, a 51-year-old lawyer who said she has never gotten involved in town issues before, has since made her stance on the issue clear. She has written letters to selectmen and to The Sun Chronicle, and posted anti-casino signs on her lawn, one of which she said was stolen just before Christmas.
Staaf came to an informational open house at Union Church Fellowship Hall on Saturday afternoon - which she described as a "mini-convention" - to pick up another sign and put faces to the names she has come to associate with the anti-casino movement.
"I've seen a lot of names on blogs and heard people talking at meetings," Staaf said. "It's just good to put a name to a face. I think it's amazing that this group leapt into action so quickly. It's impressive."
The anti-casino movement may not be able to compete financially with the well-funded PR machine of Las Vegas mogul Steve Wynn, who has proposed the resort casino on Route 1 across from Gillette Stadium, so it opts for a personal touch.
Saturday's open house included coffee, tea and homemade cookies. There were lawn signs, stickers and business cards, as well as fact sheets, surveys and a print version of the online petition asking Robert Kraft to withdraw his proposal for a casino, which currently has about 1,700 signatures.
Visitors looking to get more involved could donate to the cause or sign up to volunteer. An "information and listening" section was designed to invite discussion about controversial topics that residents may be hesitant to talk about with their neighbors. "They're info and listening tables," said Chris Lowey, No Foxboro Casino's volunteer coordinator. "They're not us preaching."
Lowey said that with the snowy conditions on Saturday, volunteers weren't expecting much of a turnout and hoped for a handful of people.
Instead, an estimated 40 to 50 people came through, including state Sen. James Timilty, D-Walpole.
The open house is the first of several more planned as a way to personalize the anti-casino cause and reach those who may not be computer savvy and "wired-in" to the movement's online outreach efforts.
"That's a lot of people, and that's what initiated this whole thing," said Lowey. "We really wanted to reach people who were not necessarily online, and we really want to put a face to the organization, to who we are, so people can see we're neighbors."
Spokeswoman Holly Steel said the open house was also a way to make first contact with people who are undecided and want more information.
Most of those who stopped by on the snowy Saturday afternoon hailed from Foxboro, but residents from neighboring towns came by as well.
Janice McCarty, 52, of Norfolk came looking for signs and information she hopes to share with fellow Norfolk residents, many of whom believe the issue is dead after Foxboro selectmen voted 3-2 against the casino.
"I feel somewhat helpless right now," McCarty said. "I feel like the more education I can get, that maybe in conversations with people I know, I can fill people in."
McCarty said that with distance from the proposed casino seems to come a sense of indifference about the outcome, but she feels the issue is close to home.
"I think people are not aware that even if it's not near your house, it's still going to have an impact on your life," McCarty said. "I feel like if the casino goes up and I've not done anything about it, I have no right to squawk about it."
Sunday, December 18, 2011
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.
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.
Monday, November 7, 2011
"Happy Hour" Free For All
As the victim of an 'impaired driver,' the amendment passed by the Senate to allow "Happy Hours" to return is reprehensible and the result of their willingness to genuflect before the Gambling Industry.
Not all states allow FREE ALCOHOL so no imperative exists.
Failing to consider the results in Connecticut proclaims the ignorance of those lawmakers who supported this amendment.
How come you can't sell alcohol to a drunk, but the legislation proposed would allow drunks to continue to GAMBLE?
Patrons could also sign on the dotted line and indebt themselves further to wealthy Gambling Investors, even intoxicated. You have no problem with that?
Does anyone wonder why the ABCC can study this issue for one year, but there is no INDEPENDENT COST ANALYSIS ever conducted?
Hedlund, Timilty back off return of happy hours
By Michael Norton
State House News Service
BOSTON — Two local state senators are backing off a proposal to bring “happy hours” back to Massachusetts.
Sen. James Timilty, D-Walpole, and Sen. Robert Hedlund, R-Weymouth, are recommending that a six-member conference committee negotiating casino legislation authorize the Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission to spend a year reviewing the measure first proposed as a way of leveling the playing field for restaurants and bars competing against casinos, where free drinks will be allowed.
The pair said that they hope changes will be made in the rules governing alcohol before the first casino opens in Massachusetts – bills approved by the House and Senate this fall would authorize three casinos and one slot machine facility.
Critics slammed Hedlund’s proposal to allow businesses to offer free and discounted price drinks as part of the casino bill after the senate shot down a measure to ban free drinks at casinos. Casino supporters say the free drinks allowance will help casinos compete with out-of-state counterparts.
“It’s about fairness and that’s all it was,” Timilty said. “It wasn’t about Animal House, which as I say again, is illegal. This is about putting a few more people to work.”
The senators said they hope the ABCC will review regulations that Hedlund called “arcane and archaic,” with many rules dating back more than two decades. He is part-owner of a restaurant and bar on the Braintree side of Weymouth Landing.
In a letter to the conference committee, the pair said a bar recently was able to offer tequila shots for 40 cents each because it offered the drinks at the same price for seven days in a row. By contrast, they said a regional chain restaurant was recently found out of compliance with rules for offering $1 off locally produced beers on Wednesdays night because the promotion didn’t last a week.
“This illustration shows that while our current alcohol laws may be well meaning, they are also mostly ineffective at preventing binge drinking, and so convoluted that experienced restaurant owners often unintentionally run afoul of the regulations,” the senators wrote.
The senators said Massachusetts has had 27 years to weigh the results of the ban on drink specials enacted in 1984 and copied by only Utah since. Both claimed that ban had not decreased drunk driving, saying the recent Melanie’s Law raising penalties on repeat offenders had had a more demonstrable impact.
The House casino bill didn’t address the alcoholic beverage serving rights of non-casinos, but Timilty said of the Senate amendment, “I have a sense that it’s a non-starter over there. They’re not going to recede to it.”
Hedlund agreed. “This place is not always, but often about compromise,” he said.
In a statement released by Hedlund, Ron Bersani, the grandfather of Melanie Powell, who was struck and killed by a drunk driver and for whom the repeat offender law is named, said he supports the alternative proposal. “I have all the faith in the ABCC to promulgate common sense regulations that balance public safety with a sound business environment,” Bersani said.
Alcohol-related policies have risen to the forefront on Beacon Hill in recent years. After agreeing to assess the 6.25 percent sales tax on retail alcohol sales, the Legislature and Gov. Deval Patrick watched as voters repealed that levy. This session, in addition to routinely passing laws granting alcohol licenses to particular businesses, the Legislature is advancing a bill giving large chains access to more alcohol licenses as they become available. That bill follows the approval last session of the so-called brunch bill, which permits businesses serving brunch to serve alcoholic beverages starting at 10 a.m. on Sundays, rather than noon.
Not all states allow FREE ALCOHOL so no imperative exists.
Failing to consider the results in Connecticut proclaims the ignorance of those lawmakers who supported this amendment.
How come you can't sell alcohol to a drunk, but the legislation proposed would allow drunks to continue to GAMBLE?
Patrons could also sign on the dotted line and indebt themselves further to wealthy Gambling Investors, even intoxicated. You have no problem with that?
Does anyone wonder why the ABCC can study this issue for one year, but there is no INDEPENDENT COST ANALYSIS ever conducted?
Hedlund, Timilty back off return of happy hours
By Michael Norton
State House News Service
BOSTON — Two local state senators are backing off a proposal to bring “happy hours” back to Massachusetts.
Sen. James Timilty, D-Walpole, and Sen. Robert Hedlund, R-Weymouth, are recommending that a six-member conference committee negotiating casino legislation authorize the Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission to spend a year reviewing the measure first proposed as a way of leveling the playing field for restaurants and bars competing against casinos, where free drinks will be allowed.
The pair said that they hope changes will be made in the rules governing alcohol before the first casino opens in Massachusetts – bills approved by the House and Senate this fall would authorize three casinos and one slot machine facility.
Critics slammed Hedlund’s proposal to allow businesses to offer free and discounted price drinks as part of the casino bill after the senate shot down a measure to ban free drinks at casinos. Casino supporters say the free drinks allowance will help casinos compete with out-of-state counterparts.
“It’s about fairness and that’s all it was,” Timilty said. “It wasn’t about Animal House, which as I say again, is illegal. This is about putting a few more people to work.”
The senators said they hope the ABCC will review regulations that Hedlund called “arcane and archaic,” with many rules dating back more than two decades. He is part-owner of a restaurant and bar on the Braintree side of Weymouth Landing.
In a letter to the conference committee, the pair said a bar recently was able to offer tequila shots for 40 cents each because it offered the drinks at the same price for seven days in a row. By contrast, they said a regional chain restaurant was recently found out of compliance with rules for offering $1 off locally produced beers on Wednesdays night because the promotion didn’t last a week.
“This illustration shows that while our current alcohol laws may be well meaning, they are also mostly ineffective at preventing binge drinking, and so convoluted that experienced restaurant owners often unintentionally run afoul of the regulations,” the senators wrote.
The senators said Massachusetts has had 27 years to weigh the results of the ban on drink specials enacted in 1984 and copied by only Utah since. Both claimed that ban had not decreased drunk driving, saying the recent Melanie’s Law raising penalties on repeat offenders had had a more demonstrable impact.
The House casino bill didn’t address the alcoholic beverage serving rights of non-casinos, but Timilty said of the Senate amendment, “I have a sense that it’s a non-starter over there. They’re not going to recede to it.”
Hedlund agreed. “This place is not always, but often about compromise,” he said.
In a statement released by Hedlund, Ron Bersani, the grandfather of Melanie Powell, who was struck and killed by a drunk driver and for whom the repeat offender law is named, said he supports the alternative proposal. “I have all the faith in the ABCC to promulgate common sense regulations that balance public safety with a sound business environment,” Bersani said.
Alcohol-related policies have risen to the forefront on Beacon Hill in recent years. After agreeing to assess the 6.25 percent sales tax on retail alcohol sales, the Legislature and Gov. Deval Patrick watched as voters repealed that levy. This session, in addition to routinely passing laws granting alcohol licenses to particular businesses, the Legislature is advancing a bill giving large chains access to more alcohol licenses as they become available. That bill follows the approval last session of the so-called brunch bill, which permits businesses serving brunch to serve alcoholic beverages starting at 10 a.m. on Sundays, rather than noon.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
