Menino asks tribe to build Hub casino
Envisions Wampanoag resort at Suffolk Downs
Mayor Thomas M. Menino leaped into the fray over casino gambling in the Bay State yesterday, calling for construction of a resort-style facility at Suffolk Downs that he said would boost tourism, create jobs, and generate more revenue for Boston.
Seizing on tense casino negotiations between the town of Middleborough and the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe, Menino invited the tribe to discuss placing its casino at the East Boston racetrack, even though the project would face significant hurdles in coming to the city.
While Menino has long supported legalizing gambling in Massachusetts, his comments yesterday marked the first specific proposal he has made to locate a full-blown casino complex at Suffolk Downs. He unsuccessfully pushed two years ago for the legalization of slot machines at the track.
In recent months, he supported a plan by state Treasurer Timothy P. Cahill to let the state auction rights to a private developer to build a commercial gambling resort.
"Honestly, commercial or tribal, you know, let's just get the job done," Menino said yesterday in an interview.
The mayor said he envisions a luxury gambling mecca with slots, blackjack tables, shows, world-class restaurants and, down the road, a hotel.
"It should be a destination point," he said.
He said he has spoken with state and local officials as well as residents of East Boston and believes they would support a casino at Suffolk Downs, as long as increased traffic and other adverse effects on the neighborhood could be mitigated. He has also spoken with multimillionaire developer Richard Fields, who took controlling ownership of the East Boston racetrack this spring and who has said he would welcome gaming there.
Suffolk Downs issued a statement yesterday saying track owners are focused on horse racing right now, but are open to a resort-style casino.
"Should the state move to expand gaming, we'd be open to discussing the benefits Suffolk Downs brings," spokesman Chip Tuttle said in the statement. Tuttle declined to say whether track owners would consider a deal with the Wampanoag.
Officials from the Cape Cod-based tribe, meanwhile, said they welcomed Menino's invitation to look at Boston as a possible site for their gambling complex.
"Glenn Marshall would be more than happy to sit down . . . and talk about casino possibilities in Boston," tribe spokesman Scott Ferson said, referring to the tribal chairman. "This is a mayor with a demonstrated record that he can get things done in his city."
To come to Boston, the project would need to skirt a federal guideline that the tribe believes limits the Wampanoag to a 50-mile radius of their tribal lands in Mashpee for any casino. Ferson said that while the US Department of the Interior has not made the guideline a binding regulation, federal officials have nevertheless said they expect the Wampanoag to abide by it.
The tribe, which received federal recognition this spring, purchased 125 acres of town land in Middleborough at a public auction in April, with plans to build a destination resort by 2010. But tension between the two sides heightened Wednesday when the Wampanoag balked at a new demand from the town for hundreds of millions of dollars for infrastructure improvements, such as roads, water service, and police.
Town leaders are scheduled to meet with a representative of the Wampanoag today to try to resume negotiations.
Dennis Whittlesey, a Washington lawyer representing Middleborough in the negotiations, questioned the plausibility of allowing the tribe to open a casino in Boston. The Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988, he pointed out, was aimed at restricting a tribe's gaming operations to the area considered the tribe's historical lands. Those lands extend from Mashpee throughout Southeastern Massachusetts.
"The chances of a casino in Boston is zero," said Whittlesey, who has specialized in Indian gaming for more than 30 years.
In three cases nationally, tribes with reservations have been allowed to purchase land outside their historical areas to open a casino. The Bush administration has announced it will not grant any such petitions for the remainder of its term in office.
"The Mashpee cannot go open a casino in downtown Chicago, and they cannot go open one in downtown Boston," Whittlesey said.
While the negotiations continue, a parallel effort to legalize casino gambling statewide has taken hold on Beacon Hill in recent months. If approved, it would open the door to commercial ventures like the ones proposed by Cahill.
Such a facility could be more lucrative for state and local governments than an Indian-owned resort because the state could tax the casino. With Indian casinos, which are on sovereign land, tribes usually agree to pay a certain percentage of revenues in lieu of taxes.
Governor Deval Patrick convened a study group on gaming several months ago and is scheduled to receive a briefing from the group in the next two weeks.
The mayor says that whatever the case, whether the state or the Wampanoag move forward, he just wants a casino built at Suffolk Downs -- soon.
"What I'm doing is trying to get some impetus to get this moved forward," he said.
Councilor Michael Flaherty, who as an at-large councilor represents all nine City Council districts, including East Boston, said that any Suffolk Downs proposal "requires discussion and careful review.
"What I want to know is, what will it mean for the residents of Boston?" he asked. "Will it mean lower property taxes? Will it mean safer streets, will it mean better schools, and will it create jobs?
"I think a resort casino holds much promise, but until we can answer these questions, it is premature to make any real decisions," he said.
At the track yesterday, many supported the mayor's idea, saying the place could use a little glitter.
"It'll get rid of the bums that are here because they'll need security for the casino," said Joe Littlewood, 69, of Stoughton.
Even employees were on board.
"I'm absolutely for it," said Sandy Gray, 47, who was working at a racetrack information window. "I think it will bring in revenue, and all in all it's good for the atmosphere."
Correspondent Mark Robins contributed to this report. Slack can be reached at dslack@ globe.com. Murphy can be reached at smurphy@globe.com. 