And he’s absolutely right.
Mike Dukakis on the Power of Grassroots
This Globe story describes the pressure that the volunteer town officials face as “big money out of town casino developers” move in to get the necessary permissions to build a destination casino in their town.
The state’s legalization of casino gambling is putting unprecedented demands and pressures on part-time local officials, calling into question whether volunteer citizen boards are equipped to handle casino proposals pushed by some of the richest companies in the world.
“I don’t think anybody on the board ever signed up for this,’’ said Sullivan, who has received about 2,000 calls and emails about the Route 1 casino proposal pitched by Las Vegas mogul Steve Wynn for land next to Gillette Stadium. “There’s awesome, awesome pressure, by townspeople, developers, the media. It’s just constant.’’ Many of the casino companies interested in competing for development rights under the state’s expanded gambling law have gravitated toward small towns led by part-time, virtually unpaid elected officials where large tracts of open land are available.
But as Geoff Beckwith from the Mass Municipal Association says,
…Geoffrey Beckwith, executive director of the Massachusetts Municipal Association, said he is confident that small towns, with the right expert help, can hold their own with developers. He noted that most town boards lean heavily on in-house professionals, such as town managers and planning directors, who can provide expert advice and analysis………………. For local officials under pressure from angry neighbors, “It is a hot seat, absolutely,’’ when a casino is proposed in town, said Beckwith. “But who better to deal with very concerned citizens than citizens themselves?’’
