Blue Mass Group

Reality-based commentary on politics.

House of cards

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For those of you just tuning in, here’s some more of the back story: All five selectmen support the casino, but two of them were elected or re-elected too recently to be subject to recall. One of those two, Adam Bond, has been the town’s main pro-casino cheerleader. There is a very good possibility that, after Saturday’s vote, three of the five selectmen will be anti-casino.

But will they be able to say so? Take a look at Section 22, Parts B and C, of the agreement (PDF) signed by the selectmen on July 28:

B. The Town will support the Project and agrees to actively work with and assist the Tribe and its contractors and agents to obtain any and all approvals, legislation, liquor licensing or other enactments required for the Project from governmental entities and officials of the United States, the Commonwealth and the Town.

C. The Town will reasonably assist the Tribe in responding to negative comments about the Project, reiterating the Town’s support and the basis therefor.

Part C is a doozy. It says, in effect, that town officials are prohibited from speaking out against the casino, and that if they do, they could be subject to legal action. I am reliably told that the anti-casino candidates for selectmen are puzzling over how much freedom of speech they’ll have if they win election on Saturday.

Meanwhile, I would think that no reporter should quote a Middleborough town official saying anything about the casino plan without noting that said official is legally obligated to say only positive things.

On another front, I join Jon Keller and David Kravitz in praising this Weekly Dig analysis by Julia Reischel and Paul McMorrow, which shows that Patrick’s proposal is pretty much a direct lift from a dubious study conducted by Clyde Barrow of UMass Dartmouth. If you can count cars in the parking lot, you, too, can become a casino expert.

Finally, here is a three-part series on gambling addiction published in April 2006 by the CNHI News Service. CNHI’s Massachusetts papers include the Lawrence Eagle-Tribune, the Newburyport Daily News, the Salem News and the Gloucester Times – all of them right in the path of a possible casino, given Patrick’s desire to build one somewhere north of Boston.

My standard disclosure.

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Comments

  1. If the recall fails, will that be accepted as Middleboro wanting the casino?

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    Because as I drive around Rock Village, thre are an AWFUL lot of anti-recall street signs…

    • I will keep my counsel about the value of the conclusion the Herald drew from this survey.

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      However, I do find one nuance interesting.  Look closely at the House members who are most often associated with the racetracks.

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      Richard Ross, who represents Plainville is a no.

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      Bob DeLeo, who has supported Wonderland in the past, is a no.

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      Tom Kennedy from Brockton is a no.

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      David Flynn is an undecided, although in a separate story he indicated that if slots at racetracks are not included, he will vote no.  (You can find this at http://www.southcoas…)

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      James Fagan is undecided.

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      Kathi-Anne Reinsten apparently did not respond to the survey.

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      All six of these members previously voted for slots at the racetracks, and in fact led the 2006 push that ultimately failed 100-55.

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      Most interesting is DeLeo, who wields considerable influence as chairman of House Ways and Means.  He has specifically stated that his support will depend on slots at racetracks.  You can find this at:

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      http://www.itemlive….

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      Meanwhile, Gov. Patrick has explicitly stated that he will veto any legislation that includes slots at racetracks.

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      Yours,
      Carey Theil
      Executive Director, GREY2K USA
      http://www.grey2kusa.org

  3. I got it on tape somewhere (at home).  She pushed for the casino plan this summer and said she’ll lobby Patrick.

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    I was only a matter of time before the Republicans who push for this start flip flopping because the issue is being put to a head by a Democrat.  Whether it fails or not, it’s always easier to say what you want when it doesn’t matter, play the opposite side of the fence. Now when it matters, it’s a different story.  I thought I had to wait to see if she turned but all it took was a day or so….funny.

  4. 3 casinos or 1? Cities or rural? Slots at the tracks or no slots?

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    It’s all building up to a series of compromises that will bring the most votes. Key House leaders have tracks in their District or region. The Massachusetts Building Trades amd Mass AFL-CIO will soon begin their organizational campaigns in favor of gaming and jobs.

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    My prediction – slots at the tracks, 1 casino permit (imagine the auction value to the state for that permit) and a second Indian-owned Casino

    • From the Patrick playbook:

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      1. Propose three casinos.

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      2. After the sheep folks complain, settle for one casino and a few new taxes.

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      3.The sheep folks will think they got off easy.

  7. This is my first post of hopefully many, I’ve been reading BMG for a while and decided that I would like my voice to be heard one way or the other, so here goes:

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    I just don’t understand how having casino(s) in Massachusetts will benefit us as a whole? The crime and the depression that plagues the surroundings of a casino should be enough to deter any one with the right mind. Boston has enough crime, whether it be planned to be north of the city or not. This is just asking for it.

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    The people of middleborough are definitely upset about this and rightly so. This town is not the beacon of hope and prosperity that it should be and how would a casino help that?
    It’s suburban sprawl, it’s a crime magnet, it’s an addiction magnet. All negative things. Forcing a town to have a casino through clauses? Do we need it that badly?

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    Revenue for the state, yes, but compromising moral standards and potentially ruining towns? Not worth it in my book.

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    This might be a simple stupid comparison, but i feel that it is valid. If New England as a whole can have one state fair, why can’t New England as a whole have one or maybe even two casinos. The Northeast is not Big enough for these three proposed casinos or even one!

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    Gov. Patrick better not have this one on his record or he will never live it down. There’s nothing you can really do to stop this I understand it, I mean the unions are behind it because they getting the jobs out of it and unionizing the employees after it’s built.

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