But I did this morning because I hate the idea of bringing casinos to Massachusetts. So does Bailey and he raises some serious questions here. (I am, btw, a fan of casinos.)
I had thoughts of posting something on the blog, but didn't really see a Newburyport connection. Until I got a friend from an email with the following taken from a Boston Globe article:
Meanwhile, the Massachusetts Coalition for Jobs and Growth announced this morning that three new mayors and a prominent union have joined their campaign to support the governor's casino proposal.
The new members include Mayor James Harrington of Brockton, Mayor Mark P. Hawke of Gardner, Mayor John F. Moak of Newburyport, and the Professional Fire Fighters of Massachusetts, a union representing over 12,000 union fire fighters across the Commonwealth.
“For too long, Massachusetts has been losing revenue to other states; now it’s time to harness that growth for the Commonwealth,” said Harrington of Brockton. “We need more jobs with good wages and benefits — not to mention increased funding for local aid.”
A month ago, Mayor Moak told the Globe he was holding off on his support until he is sure that "all communities get a fair share" of any revenues generated.
I guess he got those assurances.
Me, I'm still not convinced the potential revenue doesn't come at a much higher cost. I realize times are tough and we can't rely on local property taxes. But the unintended costs of casinos just worry me.
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