Concerns raised on casino meeting

Secretary of State William F. Galvin expressed concern yesterday about the legitimacy of a planned Middleborough Town Meeting at which as many as 9,000 residents will vote on whether to accept a proposed $1 billion Indian-run casino.

He warned town officials that he would scrutinize details of the extraordinary outdoor gathering.

"For this to be done right is a challenge, if not impossible," Galvin said. "My interest is to protect the rights of voters. And having run elections, I recognize the obviously logistical problems here."

Galvin said he lacks legal authority to halt a Town Meeting but has the power to challenge its legitimacy after the fact.

"My office can go into court and raise questions about the vote," he said in an interview, adding that he wants to avoid such a scenario by working with the town next week in preparation for the July 28 meeting at the high school athletic field .

Galvin's involvement in the casino question could complicate already delicate negotiations between the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe and the town. The two sides were said to be close yesterday to ironing out details of a casino proposal to present at the Town Meeting.

The town, meanwhile, is racing to meet the logistical challenges of the mass gathering, including setting up security to ensure a fair vote, accommodating disabled and handicapped voters, and providing transportation to the event.

"This is something that would normally take about six months to orchestrate," rather than several weeks, conceded Marsha Brunelle, chairwoman of the town's Board of Selectmen.

Geoffrey Beckwith, executive director of the Massachusetts Municipal Association, said he expects the meeting to be "the largest gathering of local voters to conduct business in recent memory."

Planning has been a Herculean task , and staging the session will cost the town an estimated $124,000. Yesterday, officials were scrambling to find $54,000 to rent canopy tents to shelter residents from mid day sun or rain .

Details of the proposed agreement between the town and the tribe are to be posted on Monday at locations around Middleborough, officials said, to inform voters on the deal in advance of the meeting.

Roger Brunelle, Middleborough's technology director and the selectwoman's spouse , is leading the troubleshooting for the meeting. He said that while holding the session is a big undertaking, it is doable.

Responding to Galvin's comments, he insisted that Middleborough is taking the logistical challenges seriously.

"This is not a game to us," Roger Brunnelle said. ". . . The heart of this is, we have to get this done. We have to make sure everyone feels they were heard and that the meeting is handled properly. Our integrity is on the line, so it's important."

In a letter sent to Middleborough selectmen Wednesday by Michelle K. Tassinari, legal counsel for the secretary of state's Election Division, Galvin's office cited concerns about parking, weather, security, and accessibility and directed the town to submit a detailed plan by Monday, five days before the scheduled meeting.

Galvin said yesterday that his major concerns center on the town's ability to ensure that only registered voters participate in the vote and that the votes are accurately counted. At many Town Meetings, votes are cast by raised hand and generally only 300 or 400 people participate.

Middleborough officials say they are taking steps to protect the integrity of the meeting.

On the day of the session, to begin at 11 a.m., residents will be checked into the meeting by election workers. After Town Moderator James Thomas reads the proposed Town Meeting article, five proponents and five opponents, chosen in advance by their respective sides, will present brief arguments. Thomas will take questions, and the vote will proceed.

Voting will be conducted by so-called Australian ballot, in which voters are given a paper marked yes on one half and no on the other.

Voters will place their chosen half in ballot boxes set up at about 10 stations along the field. The boxes will be brought to the high school gym, where election workers will count the ballots . A representative from the pro-casino group and a casino opponent will be allowed to enter the secured area and witness the count.

Police will be present to maintain security, Thomas said, and 30 town workers are to be on call. The vote will be decided by simple majority.

However, if money for the canopies is not found, Thomas said, ballots will not be used, and he will instead ask those in favor of the casino deal to simply step to one side of the field, and those opposed to the other. Thomas would then assess both sides and decide which prevails.

Scott Ferson, spokesman for the Mashpee Wampanoag, said the tribe shares Galvin's concerns. "This presents a large logistical challenge, but we expect a process to be worked out," he said.

Ferson said the tribe is anxious about the meeting because it wants to move forward with planning a casino, without new delays, and because it is confident that a majority of voters in Middleborough support the casino.