BOSTON—Gov. Deval Patrick is ramping up efforts to pass his casino gambling bill, shepherding labor unions, mayors and other would-be beneficiaries to pressure lawmakers, and hoping election year politics will help the cause.
The Democratic governor and labor union officials are meeting Wednesday to launch their campaign to persuade skeptical lawmakers to support Patrick's three-casino bill, which they say will generate tens of thousands of jobs.
"It's going to be more like a political campaign," said Robert Haynes, president of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO. "It's going to be more intense than usual."
The Democratic governor, criticized in some circles for a lackluster sales job after unveiling his casino bill in September, held strategy sessions with his top advisers in the first days of the new year. Several events are being planned around the state.
"Everyone is energized," said Rep. Brian Wallace, a Boston Democrat who is a key Patrick ally on casinos. "Before, it was on the backburner."
A discussion among union and gambling industry representatives is whether to create a formal coalition that would pay for television and radio advertisements.
A spokesman for Patrick did not immediately return a call to comment.
House lawmakers two years ago rejected a bill to expand legalized gambling, and House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi remains opposed to casinos, saying they'll alter the cultural and intellectual character of Massachusetts. He's also skeptical of projections of $400 million in annual revenue.
Labor unions have been among the strongest supporters of the bill because Patrick estimates that three casinos would create 30,000 temporary construction jobs and 20,000 permanent jobs. Union activists packed the Gardner Auditorium in the Statehouse on Dec. 18 for a pro-casino legislative hearing.
Tens of thousands of union workers across the state can be mobilized to lobby lawmakers, who ignore constituents at their peril in an election year.
"We're going to explore the whole endorsement process, how we rate folks," Haynes said. "I'm not going to threaten anybody at this stage of the game. I'm hopeful people will see the light when confronted with the facts."
Part of the strategy involves targeting House lawmakers by region, so that Wallace would lobby his Boston colleagues, and Lt. Gov. Tim Murray, for example, would persuade Worcester-area representatives to support the measure. Murray is a former mayor of Worcester.
Patrick plans to begin meeting with individual House members, Wallace said, in a strategy similar to the campaign that took place last year when Patrick and others took a personal interest in preserving gay marriage.
Another part of the strategy, lawmakers said, is to corral mayors and other local elected leaders to pressure undecided legislators. Cash-strapped cities and towns are looking for new revenues as they face teacher layoffs and library closings.
Among the industry heavyweights showing an interest in building a casino in Massachusetts are Sheldon Adelson of Las Vegas Sands Corp., Gary Loveman of
Patrick's bill calls for a minimum investment of $1 billion, and would site a casino in each of three regions: the Boston area, southeastern Massachusetts, and western/central Massachusetts.
The governor says Massachusetts residents spend about $900 million annually at Connecticut's two casinos. His bill calls for net revenue to be split between fixing roads and bridges and property tax credits for homeowners.
Another argument in favor of casinos is that the Mashpee Wampanoag Indian tribe will be able to open a facility with bingo-style slots, which look similar to regular slots. The tribe has applied for federal approval to use land in Middleborough for a casino. Under that scenario, the state could be shut out of any revenues.
It's widely expected that Patrick will include some amount of would-be licensing fees in his state budget to be filed next week. His office won't comment on that, but pro-casino lawmakers, including Sen. Steve Panagiotakos, have urged him to do so.
DiMasi on Tuesday advised against it.
"Governors have a tendency to do that but I don't think he should be putting revenues in there that he hopes to get," DiMasi said. "I think he should only rely on the revenues that he expects to get. It's too premature to do it, especially with a bill that's uncertain and it's pretty controversial."
The speaker pledged to give the casino bill "a full and fair hearing."
