Supporters and opponents of a casino at the Brockton Fairgrounds were passionate in a hearing before the Massachusetts Gaming Commission. The panel hopes to decide soon whether to issue a license to Mass Gaming & Entertainment.
The panel listened to public input from passionate opponents and advocates and an often-raucous crowd, but did not take a vote. Brockton Mayor Bill Carpenter told the commission, “It is time to start generating revenue for Brockton. It is desperately needed in this city, which has been down for the count for a long time.” His comments elicited loud cheers.
He spoke of the city’s $10 million deficit and said that nearly nine tenths of the city’s school children are below the poverty level.
“The vast majority of casino jobs will go to Brockton families,” said the mayor. “Think about the improved standard of living that will come with those jobs — $60 million a year in payroll. We need to prime the pump of Brockton’s economy.”
Baptist minister Richard Reid, who leads Stand Up for Brockton, said, “The harsh reality is that Brockton is going through hard times, but quick fixes never last and are often harmful to a community,” he said. He said casinos victimize those at the lowest end of the economic spectrum, “those who can least afford it.” Several of his fellow opponents wore “No Casino” lapel stickers while supporters across the room sported yellow t-shirts.
The company is a subsidiary of Rush Street Gaming. It is the only applicant remaining for the southeastern gaming zone, which would be the fourth and final casino license to be issued by Massachusetts.
If the license is issued the casino might have to compete with the Mashpee Wampanoag’s casino resort in Taunton as well as the Plainridge Park racino that opened in June.
One facet the commission must consider in its decision is the level of local support for a casino. Nearly a year ago voters approved of the Brockton casino, but only by a margin of 143 votes.
Originally the legislature set aside the license for the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe, but it failed to meet requirements, such as putting the land into trust, quickly enough, and the commission decided to open the bidding to commercial developers.
Mass Gaming & Entertainment submitted the only bid. After it did so the BIA put the Taunton land into trust. Mass Gaming is funding a court challenge to that action.
Wynn Everett
Although Wynn Resorts made peace with Boston’s mayor in January, the opposition of Somerville Mayor Joe Curtatone appears to have put the sudden brakes on the $1.7 billion casino that Wynn wants to build in Everett.
The project on 33 acres would include 600 hotel rooms and would keep 4,000 construction workers busy for a couple of years and provide permanent employment to 4,000.
The city appealed a decision by the state’s environmental regulatory agency to grant the project a permit, and this appeal could add a year to when the casino can begin building.
Some who would like to see peace between the two parties say that a footbridge that has been proposed to cross the Mystic River into Somerville is a fit symbol for the fleeting concept.
Wynn has agreed to fund a study of the feasibility of such a bridge that would connect Everett’s Gateway Center shopping center to Assembly Row in Everett. Mayor Curtatone has publically supported the bridge, although continuing to oppose the casino, claiming that it will do environmental harm to his residents.
Last year he said, “The city in general supports analyzing how to increase mobility, especially biking and walking to alleviate congestion, but that in of itself cannot be seen as a panacea to solving the impacts the Wynn project will have on regional traffic congestion.” He added, “When it comes to extending … bike/walk options for the region, these are things we should be doing anyway and it should not take a bad economic model like expanded gambling to get us to catch up with the rest of the world.”
More recently he told the Boston Globe, “A footbridge would benefit Steve Wynn and Steve Wynn only. Wynn is looking to tap into the success of Assembly Row to get more people to his craps table.”
A spokesman for the mayor backtracked a little when the Globe pointed out the inconsistency, and said the mayor had long been interested in bike and path networks crossing the river, but said that the casino made that idea “problematic.”
“We risk Assembly Row being turned into overflow parking for the casino, pulling even more casino traffic through our roadways and exposing Assembly Row businesses to the well-documented adverse effects that casinos have been shown to have on nearby businesses. If casino patrons can avoid that traffic by parking in Assembly and crossing a footbridge, all indicators are that they will,” said the spokesman.
Last week Wynn announced that the groundbreaking that had been planned for spring has been delayed. A hiring freeze has also been imposed.
Wynn Everett President Robert DeSalvio announced the freeze at a press conference. “All of that, due to this appeal that was put in by the city of Somerville. With these announcements, basically, the construction of the Wynn resort is effectively on hold.”
He added, “We are not going anywhere. We will get this project started as soon as possible. We will get this amazing project done. But for now, unfortunately, due to the delay that’s caused by the appeal, we are actually going to have to go on hold.”
Curtatone answered those charges later the same day, “The appeals are a necessary part of the checks and balances to make sure we get it right,” he said, adding, “They knew the appeal was coming, and their claim that everything from this point on is the responsibility of the city of Somerville is really based on Wynn’s fantasy timeline where they are above the rules and regulations of this commonwealth, and that they’re not subject to the normal appeals process.”
The city filed the appeal because it considers Wynn’s traffic plan to be inadequate, which, it claims will cause pollution-related health issues for its residents.
“We want to see good jobs come to the area as much as anybody else,” said the mayor. “As soon as Wynn is willing to step up to the plate to develop a responsible traffic plan and address our environmental concerns, then this project has a possibility of moving forward.”
Labor leaders are urging Curtatone to drop the appeal.
“We want to go to work,” declared a member of Pipefitters Local 537.
The mayor of Everett, Carlo DeMaria, urged people who oppose the appeal to “come to your office,” to confront Curtatone.
Three dozen union workers heard the call and a week later showed up at the Somerville City Hall carrying signs that read “Curtatone No Good for Community.”
One of the protestors told the Somerville Journal, “The mayor hasn’t done anything for his constituents and local workers, including at Assembly Square. It’s all right to build on one side of the river but it’s not okay to build on the other side?”
Another declared, “Curtatone hasn’t done anything for local workers at Assembly Square.”
The city also has several lawsuits pending against the casino resort, but none have worked to the degree of the environmental appeal.
The appeal could take as long as a year to resolve according to the Department of Environmental Protection. Some work can proceed, but no construction.
Although Curtatone denies that he is after more money from Wynn, his previous negotiations with the developer in 2014 garnered him half the amount he wanted to be paid in mitigation funds.
DeSalvio said last week that his company doesn’t intend to up its original mitigation amount of $650,000 per year to the city.
DiMaria characterized the appeal as “politics at its worst.”
