Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker was criticized last week by someone whom he may be running against for reelection for a secret meeting Baker had with casino mogul Steve Wynn, who is a building a .4 billion casino in the Bay State, in Everett.
The Republican reported that Baker met with Wynn when Baker visited Las Vegas last month to take part in a renewable energy panel discussion officials from Nevada, California, Hawaii and Massachusetts. Baker is in his first term, and is considered likely to run for reelection in 2018.
Wynn is a major GOP donor and Baker is also a Republican.
Setti Warren, mayor of Newton, questioned the propriety of the meeting. He called on Baker to reveal the nature of the meeting and implied that Wynn might have asked for a favor from the governor about the Wynn Boston Harbor. A spokesman for the governor told the media that the media concerned economic issues in the Boston metro area.
Meanwhile, Wynn told an audience at a Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce event that he will be spending almost $100 million to buy land near the Everett resort to try to improve the area.
Wynn said, “We’ve spent over $75 million as of today … on our way to $90 (million), to buy real estate that has nothing to do with the casino development. It’s property that we’re buying so that we can turn Everett into a great example of America, of how a business can change a neighborhood.”
The land in question is near the entrance to the casino and includes residential and commercial property. The casino property encompasses 3 million square feet. The
Although one of the most successful casino developers in the world, Wynn said he was an English lit major who also studied anthropology. He brought that knowledge into play when he observed that the sun, water and plants work in tandem to create oxygen.
“Those are the primordial forces of life. And I said to myself and my colleagues, ‘Look if we’re going to get people to come out here in the desert or to Boston, to deal with the complexities of travel, we’re going to have to resonate with human aspiration, which is fancy language,” he said. “But the fact of the matter is if you stay close to the primordial sources of life – water, plants and sunlight – you resonate with people in a way that all of us don’t necessarily articulate consciously,” he added. “But it does move us. We all love sunshine and beautiful flowers. We love looking at the water.”
Wynn Boston Harbor President Robert DeSalvio said in a statement, “Like any prudent developer, we have a responsibility to invest in our host community and play an active role in what will be built around us. We’re studying different options for the sites and will work closely with the city of Everett to bring even more vitality to lower Broadway.”
It’s probably not a coincidence that the theme of the hotel is “flowers,” where the sunlight will come through a window in the ceiling through a carousel of flowers.
The lobby will also have two carved escalators—much pricier than the straight kind. They will flank Wynn’s $28 million Popeye sculpture.
The casino with its 27-story tower, is scheduled for a June 2019 opening. In a nod towards being family friendly, the casino floor, 13 restaurants and hotel itself will all be separate from the gaming floor.
New Law For Felons
The Bay State legislature has approved a measure that will allow persons with criminal backgrounds to be allowed to work in some sectors of the gaming industry—although not in areas connected with finance or handling money.
The law was approved at the request of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission. MGM had also asked for it.
Under the former law criminal background checks were required for all positions. According to an article in the Valley Advocate, half of the unemployed available to be hired by the MGM Springfield when it opens next fall would have been unemployable.
Now positions such as bartenders or hotel workers will be available for people with criminal workers—but at the discretion of the commission. A spokesman said the panel will be discussing exactly which positions to apply the law to.
MGM Springfield’s Mike Mathis issued a statement: “Our company advocated for these changes, alongside many Springfield-area groups and citizens. Jobs that were once out of reach for many will now transform into career opportunities, providing the stable foundation needed to find success.”
