23 October, 2013
With Milford’s referendum vote on the proposed casino set for November 19, the MetroWest Anti-Casino Coalition (MWACC) continues to gather information regarding the potential impacts on surrounding communities. On October 15, 2013, the MetroWest Anti-Casino Coalition met with City Officials of the City of Norwich, Connecticut to discuss their experience with Foxwoods Resort and Casino as a neighbor and business partner.
A summary of the lessons learned from the City of Norwich was scheduled for discussion by selectmen at their October 22 meeting.
No positive results were cited as a result of the Foxwoods Resort and Casino. The number of police calls, the effects on the school system, housing impacts, and the city’s median income were all negatively affected. Calls to the police department nearly doubled in 2012 and the Norwich community was described as a “24-hour community” that is always open, yet local businesses did not benefit from people coming to the casino. The MWAAC summary of the discussion with Norwich city officials says, “City officials acknowledged visitors do not stop at their local businesses, with the exception of a Dunkin' Donuts on the main access road. People drive to the casino and leave the casino, pure and simple.”
Further, according to the summary by MWACC, effects on Norwich’s school system were substantial, most notably caused by significant enrollment fluctuations and the need to support 33 different languages. The median income of the City of Norwich declined by $20,000 per family since the casino was built in the early 1990’s.
Other input provided by Norwich city officials was related to the overall effects of a casino and included the belief that “there is now a market saturation of gambling facilities in the Northeast, which has resulted in revenue declines for Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun in Connecticut.” They acknowledged that while Norwich did see a short term benefit when the casino first opened, that benefit quickly eroded, leaving the city to deal with many negative impacts.
The summary also cited increases in crime including prostitution, tax evasion and embezzlement and Norwich acknowledged “that the leadership of Foxwoods has had a long and sordid history of political infighting at the Tribal Council and that has had an effect on the business operations.”
MWACC also reported in a press release dated October 16 that former Mashantucket Pequot Tribal pleaded guilty to federal charges of theft after embezzling $700,000 of funds from the tribe. Thomas’ brother, Michael Thomas, was also convicted of embezzlement in January of this year.
“The people of Milford and the MetroWest region deserve to know more about who we
are potentially doing business with” said Brian Herr, Chairman of MWACC. “The fact is there is a business link between the Connecticut tribe and the Foxwoods application. Two current members and the business arm of the Tribal Council are partners in the Foxwoods application. We need to dig further into that relationship given these convictions and history.”
MWAAC has called upon the Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) to hold their legally mandated Investigations and Enforcement Bureau (IEB) public hearing on the character and financial suitability of the Foxwoods applicant before the Milford referendum on November 19th.
“I sincerely hope the Massachusetts Gaming Commission will allow the residents of Milford to have the information they need to make informed decisions on a potential future business partner” said Herr. “Given these federal crimes, the MGC should allow the people of Milford to know what their investigation found about the applicant.”
