Petition drive to continue, after panel votes against dog-racing ban
RAYNHAM - An effort to ban greyhound racing in Raynham and elsewhere in Massachusetts by 2010 suffered a blow last week when the state's Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure came down squarely on the side of dog track owners.
In a majority report issued on Wednesday, legislators said the racing industry, which has a 70-year history in the state, provides much-needed jobs and recreation. Therefore, the panel voted, 11 to 1, not to back an Act to Protect Greyhounds, the racing ban submitted through a petition initiative by the Committee to Protect Dogs.
That was bad news for animal rights activists, but they vowed to press on.
Kara Holmquist, director of advocacy for the MSPCA, said supporters of the proposed ban will now gather the final 11,000 signatures needed to put the question on the November ballot.
"We have 2,000 volunteers anxious and ready," she said.
If lawmakers had agreed to back the measure, the additional 11,000 petition signatures, which will be added to the 100,000 signatures already gathered, would not have been necessary.
Holmquist said her agency is "disappointed but not incredibly surprised" by the committee's position.
The group's position remains the same, she said: "We don't think an industry should be based on animal cruelty."
According to Christine Dorchak, chairwoman for the anti-greyhound racing organization Grey2K USA, greyhound advocates have until June 16 to gather the 11,000 signatures and have them certified by town clerks. The signatures will then be submitted to the secretary of state's office.
"We're shooting to gather 30,000 signatures to allow for those that may be disqualified," Dorchak said.
State Representative David Flynn, a Bridgewater Democrat, has been a vigorous supporter of the state's racetracks. Dog racing is offered at two of the state's four tracks: Wonderland in Revere as well as the Raynham Taunton Greyhound Park, which is in Flynn's district.
"Naturally, I'm opposed to the referendum," Flynn said Thursday. "The Raynham track has 650 jobs, where people get benefits."
"I think dog racing is just as American as apple pie and ice cream," Flynn continued. "Those dogs are given good treatment, and we certainly need every single job in this state."
Flynn has his own pending proposal for slot machines at the state's four racetracks, creating so-called "racinos." Flynn says it would take only a little over 100 days to implement the plan and start netting the state millions in revenue. It would also help buoy the sagging racetrack industry, he said.
Flynn expects discussion of his proposal to be taken up within the next three weeks by legislators.
George Carney, owner of the Raynham Park dog track, has taken his own measures to keep the greyhound ban off the November ballot.
He has filed suit in the Supreme Judicial Court. Carney's complaint, filed against Attorney General Martha Coakley, was heard on Wednesday. The complaint says the attorney general's office should not have accepted the greyhound act for the ballot because it only pertains to certain areas of the state.
Carney said Wednesday that he expects a decision by the court in July.
"No matter what the outcome is, I'm going to be ready to go to battle in November," Carney said. "That's my game plan."
Carney successfully blocked a similar ballot initiative in 2006. That time, the Supreme Judicial Court ruled that the ballot question's wording was unclear.
In 2000, voters in Massachusetts narrowly defeated a proposed ban on greyhound racing, with 51 percent opposed to the ban.
"Since then, more and more people have become educated on the issue of greyhound racing," Holmquist said. "We hope that will help switch the vote this time."
Christine Legere can be reached at christinelegere@yahoo.com.
