DiMasi fires another shot in casino fight
By Andrew Ryan and Matt Viser, Globe Staff
House Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi lobbed another grenade in the battle over a proposal to license three casinos, circulating an analysis that calls the governor’s projected gambling revenues “significantly exaggerated.”
The analysis comes from Representative Daniel E. Bosley, a Democrat from North Adams and ardent gambling opponent who chairs a legislative committee that will hold a public hearing next week on the governor’s casino bill. Bosley disputes the estimate that the casinos would produce $400 million to $450 million in new state revenue.
“In reviewing the governor’s casino proposal, I believe he overstates the benefits and downplays the costs of bringing casino gambling to the Commonwealth,” Bosley said in the analysis. “His figures are high and the projected revenue can not be counted on.”
It is the third of Bosley’s “issue papers” that have been distributed by DiMasi’s office in recent weeks. Several more are expected in advance of the hearing March 18 before the Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies.
Last week, DiMasi seized on a Globe analysis that found it was “excessively optimistic” that building three casinos in Massachusetts would create 30,000 construction jobs. DiMasi called Patrick's estimates "absurd” and said the plan was losing credibility on Beacon Hill.
Patrick countered that the dispute over casino construction jobs should not tarnish the overall promise of casino gambling, which includes new jobs and a new source of revenue for the state. He accused DiMasi of attacking the proposal without putting forward any of his own ideas.
Meanwhile, the Massachusetts Coalition for Jobs and Growth announced this morning that three new mayors and a prominent union have joined their campaign to support the governor's casino proposal.
The new members include Mayor James Harrington of Brockton, Mayor Mark P. Hawke of Gardner, Mayor John F. Moak of Newburyport, and the Professional Fire Fighters of Massachusetts, a union representing over 12,000 union fire fighters across the Commonwealth.
“For too long, Massachusetts has been losing revenue to other states; now it’s time to harness that growth for the Commonwealth,” said Harrington of Brockton. “We need more jobs with good wages and benefits — not to mention increased funding for local aid.”
