Casino Forum Draws Proponents, Opponents, Selectman to Boston

BOSTON — Suffolk University drew proponents and opponents of casino gambling to a single forum Thursday, including representatives from Milford and the proposed Foxwoods Massachusetts casino.

Scott Butera, chief executive officer of Foxwoods Resort Casino, the dominant partner in the casino application for Milford, was a panelist, as were Steve Trettel, a co-chairman of of Casino Free Milford, and Milford Selectman Brian Murray.

Butera described the Milford proposal in a powerpoint presentation, emphasizing that the $1 billion casino application would bring good paying jobs to the Milford region. He disputed opponents' contention that the average casino job would pay less than $35,000 a year, based on the Foxwoods casino record.

"If our average worker made $35,000 a year, I'd be in heaven," Butera said, "because we'd have money coming out of our ears."

Many dealers make six-figure incomes, including bonuses, he said. And supervisory level positions will be created in all departments. Most senior executives in the company have worked their way up, he said, creating opportunity for promotion among hires.

"We don't have many low-skilled positions," he said. "I think we can attract quality people to the area."

In comments later, he revealed some site details for the first time, explaining that the casino would only occupy 20 percent of the purchased property. And he alluded to payments that the resort casino could make to the community, as part of any host community agreement.

He specifically mentioned developing playing fields for youth sports, and putting dollars into the school system to offset impacts that could result from enrollment of children of casino workers.

"We need to make sure we build out and enhance the infrastruction of the area," Butera said. "There are people now who have poor sewer systems or septic systems. We can fix that." And, in a reference to mitigating impacts on education: "Education gets enhanced with money. Schools need dollars. ... These are the kinds of things we can do that mitigate some of these concerns."

Casino Free Milford, a group that opposes the casino in Milford, was among the casino community opponents invited to participate in the forum as panelists. Celeste Ribeiro Myers, of East Boston, a representative of "No Eastie Casino," a group opposed to the Suffolk Downs casino, and Evmorphia Stratis, an Everett artist and teacher, who is opposed to the Wynn Resorts casino in Everett, also sat as panelists.

Steve Trettel, a co-chairman of Casino Free Milford, said the Milford casino will bring relatively low paying jobs — dependent on tips — and has already started to hurt residential property sales.

Traffic, and water and sewer concerns can have engineered solutions, he said. But some other impacts have no solution.

"What's not being addressed here is the impact on property values," he said. Already, people are talking about selling now, before a casino is approved in a referendum. The group also has talked with home buyers who are avoiding the town altogether, "just because of the talk of locating a casino there."

Everett and East Boston, the other communities identified in casino applications, are urban in nature and have different needs than Milford, he said.

"Milford, is not, as a small, suburban town, an appropriate place for a destination casino."

Selectman Brian Murray spoke briefly, as well, explaining that Milford first was approached by a casino developer in 2009, but has only recently had an active application. Foxwoods has entered the arena only recently, he said, but the issues identified four years ago remain the same: water, sewer, traffic. 

So far, he said, Foxwoods has not addressed the major issues.

"It's clear none of those issues has been addressed in any way, shape or form," Murray said. "Before we even get into the plus or minus economics of it, those have to be addressed right away."

Part of the university's "Building Boston 2030 Series," the "Casinos: Deal us in?" forum was sponsored by the Greater Boston Real Estate Board.

In addition to the Milford casino and town representatives, panelists included Chip Tuttle, chief operating officer of Suffolk Downs. Wynn Resorts, which is seeking a resort casino license in Everett, did not participate.