September 20, 2011 Winthrop, MA - The Neighbors Of Suffolk Downs, a grassroots organization with members from the communities surrounding Suffolk Downs has successfully lobbied the Winthrop Town Council to take up the issue of casino gambling that is proposed for the racetrack in nearby, East Boston, MA and Revere, MA. The Council responded to a request made by Neighbors of Suffolk Downs President, John Ribeiro, who has been a vocal opponent of the plan to site a casino at Suffolk Downs.
John Ribeiro, an East Boston native and Winthrop resident petitioned the Town Council to bring several questions to the table for consideration. “The residents of Winthrop will have no say on whether a casino is built at Suffolk Downs”, said Ribeiro, “and we’re less than a mile from the gate. Everyone knows that nearby communities and not just the host communities will be impacted”, he added. The group is asking the Town Council to adopt a resolution in support of a bill that would require the state to conduct an independent cost benefit analysis on the plan to site a casino at Suffolk Downs and to provide for Winthrop residents to have an up or down vote on any casino planned within 10 miles of the town. The resolution would then be sent to Speaker DeLeo (D - Winthrop) and Senator Anthony Petruccelli (D - Winthrop) urging them to withhold their support of any casino gambling measure unless and until the conditions of the resolution are met.
Representative Cheryl Dykema (D – 8th Middlesex) raised an amendment during last Wednesday’s debate on the measure to bring casino gambling to Massachusetts, that would have given “surrounding communities” an up or down referendum vote on the approval of a nearby casino proposal. “One community found their public safety budget tripled one year after the siting of a gaming facility”, argued Dykema. The measure was defeated by a roll call vote, 51-101. Speaker DeLeo voted against the measure, denying his hometown a voice on this critical issue.
Lisa O’Connell Paulson, who sits on the board of Neighbors of Suffolk Downs and is a life long Winthrop resident added, “We’re already over burdened in this area; we have the airport and the pollution and traffic that brings, we also have the Deer Island waste water treatment plant and now they want to add a casino to the mix. The people of Winthrop should have a say on whether a casino is built in our neighborhood.”
The Town Council will meet at 7:00 PM on Tuesday, September 20, 2011 at 7:00 PM in the Harvey Hearing Room at Town Hall, 1 Metcalf Square, Winthrop, MA. |