Red Tape: Seeing the writing on the wall, Springfield City Council President Michael Fenton wanted to test the waters with a ballot question asking voters, “Do you support an amendment to the Host Community Agreement between MGM Springfield and the City of Springfield, previously approved by a referendum vote, which would eliminate the high-rise glass hotel at 73 State Street, Springfield, Massachusetts and which would make other changes to the development site?” Urged to act following MGM’s announcement of major design changes, Fenton called a special meeting last Tuesday in order to vote on and file the question with Election Commissioner Gladys Oyola by 11:59 — his interpretation of the Tuesday deadline. To Oyola, however, a Tuesday deadline meant a 5 p.m. deadline. She was unwilling to budge from that point and the ballot question died in a puddle of bureaucratic confusion.
Writing on the Walls: The Daily Hampshire Gazette posed an interesting theory in a recent editorial about MGM’s plans to its casino plans. The editorial board speculates that MGM may have made the drastic change to the hotel tower — from 25 stories to six — in a bid to get out of its contract with Springfield. The change in design must be approved by the state. “It’s possible MGM wants to be turned down on the hotel change, then use that to extract itself from its host agreement with Springfield. It would have to pay to get out of the deal, but big companies handle costs like this,” the Gazette notes. “Investors in one Atlantic City casino backed away after putting in $1 billion. And this week, in another business, Royal Dutch Shell announced it is dropping Arctic oil and gas exploration after investing $7 billion. High-rollers know when to fold.”
Live and Let Die: Connecticut tribes continue their efforts to build a casino along the Massachusetts border to compete with MGM. Proposals are being sought from interested communities north of Hartford. A new location for a casino could be named by the end of the year.•
Got an MGM news tip? Email Hunter Styles at hstyles@valleyadvocate.com.
