On the MGM Springfield casino playlist this week:
Brothers in Arms: In their host agreement with the city of Springfield, MGM promised to create at least 2,000 jobs during construction of the casino. The hiring for these jobs needs to meet specific demographic quotas — 15.3 percent minorities, 8 percent veterans, and 6.9 percent women — in order to meet their affirmative action guidelines. To that end, the company has been doing some outreach to potential business partners in the area.
On July 23, MGM execs met with officials from five veteran-owned businesses interested in getting involved with the design, engineering, and construction of the new $800 million complex-to-be. The signing of actual contracts seems to be a bit further down the road. Which is fair, since it’s not clear yet when the casino will even be operational — MGM’s request to delay opening by a year, due to extensive construction work planned for the Interstate 91 viaduct right next door, is still under consideration by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission.
Steppin’ Out: Staffing at the Gaming Commission seems to have hit a rough patch. Commissioner Jim McHugh and Executive Director Rick Day announced on July 27 that they are resigning from their positions with the Commission. McHugh is leaving on Sept. 30; Day has downsized his role to that of a consultant, effective immediately.
Why the quick exits? Personal reasons, they say. Day, for one, plans to move to Montana. Nothing like a relaxing afternoon of fly-fishing to take your mind off Massachusetts casino politics. McHugh, a former state judge, says he is retiring.
I Fought the Law: Among other things, McHugh and Day are walking away from a hot mess of a legal battle between Wynn Resorts, which plans to build a $1.7 billion casino in Everett, and the cities of Boston, Revere, and Somerville, which have been filing separate lawsuits since October to get the company’s casino license revoked due to alleged corruption within the Gaming Commission. If a state judge lets the lawsuits move forward, arguments will be considered in late September.
Not everything gets harder over time. On July 22, the city of Brockton suddenly found itself the sole bidder for the commercial resort casino license designated to southeastern Massachusetts after KG Urban Enterprises nixed its plans for a casino in New Bedford. The reason: not enough capital. Which, hey, you’ve got to admire — in this world of extravagant investment, not spending money you don’t have practically makes you Mother Teresa.
Would I Lie To You?: An investigation by the Boston Herald uncovered 100 hours of secret meetings involving the Gaming Commission. The meetings, which fly in the face of state open meeting and government accountability laws, were discovered after the newspaper scoured years of commissioners’ personal calendars going back to 2012.
The opaque meetings included private weekly commissioner lunches, two-hour long agenda planning sessions, and a meeting with the former president of the American Gaming Association. When questioned about the secret meetings, commissioners said they did not discuss business over lunch, planning is important, and the lobbyist was providing the commission with “training,” the Herald reports.•
Should the gaming commission grant MGM Springfield a one-year extension on its opening date? Send your thoughts to hstyles@valleyadvocate.com
