BOS lettter to tribe – part two
At the Middleboro BOS meeting of 2/22/2010, Town Manager Cristello read a draft letter to be sent to the Mashpee Wampanaog about recent news reports that the tribe was looking to ditch the Middleboro casino in favor of a more Mass-friendly location like Fall River.
The first video contains a lengthy discussion where Selectman Steve McKinnon pushes the board to use the opportunity to improve know weaknesses in the IGA – such as the fact that the base payment of $7M don’t get a CPI increase until the doors open. We’re on year three since the IGA was signed. If CPI was 2.5%, that would be a loss to Middleboro of over a half million dollars. As usual, the rest of the BOS do absolutely nothing and McKinnon is left hanging as the sole dissenting vote.
In the second video, selectman candidate Allin Frawley and Brian Giovanoni ask some questions. Allin wants the board to find out what our options are if the tribe does go to Fall River – what legal recourse do we have. A very smart idea which naturally the hopelessly pro-casino board of selectman reject.
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Board discussion of letter
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Public discussion of letter
Themocracy
Pretty clear to me that the tribe is trying to change the deal themselves.
They want to scare the BOS into removing the RT 44 reconstruction etc from the table so they can get the land into trust and open a slot parlor without the problem of paying for the improvements.
They scare the BOS by threatening to move the casino to Fall River. The BOS and Swindlesley then will fall all over themselves to save the deal no matter what the cost to the town. The egos involved in this deal will not let it die. Where is life can you get a deal like this? You sign an agreement to build a casino and have a lifetime to hold up the town without any penalty for delay in starting construction.
It is to the benefit of the investors to wait until the economy improves to start construction, so why on earth would they begin any time soon even if they get land into trust? $7 million 10 years from now will problably pay for a new school superintendent.
Just my opinion, I could be wrong.
@nocasino
I think you’re on to something. It’s been my fear for a while that the BOS would selectively fail to enforce pieces of the IGS – namely the infrastructure – in order to get shovels in the ground.
Talk about a bait and switch …. bait the town with $250M in infrastructure and then pull the ‘ol switcheroo with a repaving of Precinct St. WooHoo.
I certainly hope that if the BOS decides to follow a route like that the Town will stand up and fight.
I do love the irony that now it looks like the Tribe is the one who rushed into this deal as well.
Both sides acted like they were drunk on the promise of millions from the investors and now look at all of us 3 years later.
I’m amazed that there still are small pockets of supporters for this project around town.