(Cross-posted from GBVDems.org)
As many of you are aware, one of the casinos allowed under the expanded gaming law has been proposed for a parcel of land in Milford. Milford has a three member Board of Selectmen, and so far, the only selectman opposed to it is Bill Buckley – both Dino DiBartolmeis and Brian Murray have remained on the fence about it, at least until a firm proposal is in hand.
But the grassroots opposition is taking no chances, gearing up for a town-wide referendum which is the next step after a decision from the Board of Selectmen to proceed. I’m volunteering for the effort, heading up the voter outreach sub-committee. We will be using my organizing software, I’ve installed a stand-alone copy with just the data for Milford here:
We are meeting in the Milford library this coming Wednesday, 3/6, at 7 pm to begin the process. Join us!
This is an important topic – the character of our town will be forever altered if we put a casino in. The proposed site is currently zoned residential, and it borders on a neighborhood in Holliston.
They have to clear three hurdles to build it:
– Approval by the Board of Selectmen
– Win 50% plus 1 at town-wide referendum
– Win a 2/3 vote at town meeting to redistrict the zoning to commercial
We’re not taking any chances – as long as the BOS is still talking to them, we’re getting ready to turn out our voters at the referndum, which will likely happen in the fall.
Do you have an election between now and “then”, where “then” is the Town Meeting where the zoning warrant article would appear? If so, now is the time to hustle and make sure that the Town Meeting Members being elected are on the same side of this issue as you are.
I hope that if you do get some new representation as a fall-out of this issue that they’re progressive on a variety of issues as well as being anti-casino-in-that-spot.
1/3 of the town meeting members are up for election this spring – we’re doing the town election on the same day as the special senate primary, it will save money to do both elections at the same time. I’m planning a sticker campaign, it’s too late to get anyone on the ballot, but it’s easy to get elected to TM with stickers, that’s how I got on there. I’m already on the ballot.
Dear Governor Patrick,
Casinos are still a bad idea.
It baffles me how as CEO of the Commonwealth you (Governor Patrick) can propose tax increases and shifting tax burden away from regressive sales tax while delivering expanded predatory gambling with casinos and slot barns to Massachusetts.
1. Casinos are regressive fiscal policy….don’t need a link, we all know and agree it’s a fact.
2. Casinos and the gambling industry are based on predatory business models and practices…..don’t need a link, we all know and agree it’s fact.
2. Transparency issues and ethical questions (ignored by the Globe, btw) abound currently with the Governor’s former Chief Legal Counsel on Casinos now raking in the dough as a lobbyist for Goodwin Procter.
Go George Brennan, Cape Cod Times
3. Mitigation in the legislation is not reality-based and casinos have no obligation to pay for direct costs, escalating costs or claw-backs for unrealized revenues. Those costs will be borne by the taxpayers who have not only NOT received property tax relief, but are paying more for shoddier services.
4. I would like to support progressive tax reform, but daily, I see bloated state bureaucracies and bureaucrats……..chumming in their own, “make work” ponds.
Fight for your community johnt001!
I’m fighting the fight – our last chance will be at town meeting. Milford uses the elected town meeting model, and I’ve been an elected member since 2007. I’m on the ballot this spring, but it’s too late to get nomination papers in for anyone else, we’re thinking a sticker campaign can get quite a few of our side into any open town meeting slots. Only 1/3 of the town meeting seats are up for election though, so if remains to be seen if we can muster enough opposition if it gets that far.