Mayors and labor leaders push for casinos

February 19, 2008 01:21 PM Email| Comments (0)| Text size – +

By Donovan Slack, Globe Staff

A group of mayors and labor leaders kicked off a lobbying effort today to push for casino gambling in the Bay State, saying it would generate tens of thousands of jobs and millions of dollars in tax revenue.

The group, calling themselves the Massachusetts Coalition for Jobs and Growth, said it hopes to generate broad, grass-roots support for Governor Deval Patrick's plan to license three resort casinos in Massachusetts.

"This is so important to the vitality and vibrancy of our cities and towns in Massachusetts," said Mayor Thomas M. Menino of Boston, who joined Mayor Kim Driscoll of Salem and City Manager Jay Ash of Chelsea at a press conference to announce the effort in downtown Boston. "We must do it now."

The coalition also includes officials from the Massachusetts Teachers Association, the AFL-CIO, and the Massachusetts Building Trades Council.

The group is urging residents to call and write their legislators, put bumper stickers on cars, and ask friends to join the coalition.

On its website, the group says that 80 percent of voters are in favor of casino gambling. The group believes that gaming could provide much-needed revenue to help fill the state's $1.3 billion structural budget gap.

The coalition's efforts are being funded by labor groups and at least one potential casino site, Suffolk Downs in East Boston, organizers said.