Boston Globe columnist Joan Vennochi reports that Patrick aide Michael Morris didn’t expect to run into Amelia and Steven Bingham when he dropped by state Sen. Dianne Wilkerson’s office last week. She adds that it’s time for Gov. Deval Patrick to walk away from the mess that is casino gambling:
The push for expanded gambling in Massachusetts comes from racetrack operators, out-of-state promoters, and other gambling interests. If they haven’t made their case yet, that should tell Patrick something important. It’s a shaky case for everyone but them.
Interesting that the most experienced analysts in town, like Vennochi, Jon Keller and Steve Bailey, understand this. Let’s hope Patrick reaches the same conclusion.
Update: Peter Kenney has much more at Cape Cod Today. And, as I should have noted earlier, there’s a discrepancy between his and Vennochi’s accounts. According to Vennochi’s reporting, Morris was surprised to see the Binghams in Wilkerson’s office. According to what the Binghams told Kenney, Morris was surprised to see that the Binghams had brought advisers with them.
Kenney’s take is that Glenn Marshall’s downfall could lead to the re-opening of a lawsuit by the tribe against the town of Mashpee over Wampanoag land rights — and that Wilkerson, a member of the Senate Insurance Committee, has an obvious interest in a situation that could wreak havoc with property insurance.
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That hits the nail right on the head.Native American organizations are merely easily bought pawns in this scheme — pawns who can access licenses from the Great White Father in Washington as long as gambling interests provide them with the best lobbyists and lawyers that money can buy. What a disgusting spectacle this is.However, we have no grounds for sanctimony. Our Commonwealth already receives over $1B in annual revenue from its $4B monopoly lottery, which handles about $700/year per citizen. And we are content with “don’t ask don’t tell” concerning who contributes this state revenue.Beacon Hill is already addicted to gambling. Casinos are just the latest drug of choice.
Pretty sure that if I wanted to regain lost credibility on Beacon Hill, enlisting the aid of Sen. Wilkerson would not be my first move. She has done for constituent confidence what Albert Desalvo did for door-to-door salesmen.