BOSTON — In the face of fierce opposition, Gov. Deval Patrick said that all he was asking for was a fair hearing on his proposal to create three resort casinos in Massachusetts.
But Patrick, testifying before a key legislative committee yesterday, also acknowledged it was likely the measure would go down to defeat in the House.
"I have no illusions about the plans in the House for this legislation," he said. "I am simply asking that an open debate begin, rather than end, today."
Though she's not a legislator, Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll went to Beacon Hill to weigh in with her support of Patrick, a political ally, and his plan.
Casinos would generate consistent revenue for cities and towns, said Driscoll, who earlier this year turned to Beacon Hill for permission to borrow $1 million to avoid teacher layoffs. Yesterday, she told the Legislature's Economic Development and Emerging Technologies Committee that Salem is like many cities and towns that have tightened their belts and still don't have the resources they need.
"It's getting harder and harder to provide the basics," Driscoll told the committee. "The mayors support casinos because it's a creative way of raising revenue without taxing Massachusetts residents."
The governor's testimony before the committee came at a critical moment in the debate over whether the state will legalize casino gambling. The committee's House chairman, Rep. Daniel Bosley, D-North Adams, has said the bill would emerge with a recommendation it should not pass.
The committee, which started hearing testimony at 10 a.m, had not completed its work as of 8 p.m. The full House could take up the bill as soon as tomorrow.
Committee member Sen. Susan Tucker, an Andover Democrat and one of the Legislature's most vocal casino opponents, told Patrick she believed casinos were too great a gamble.
Tucker questioned whether the revenues Patrick promised would materialize. She also said legalizing casino gambling was a significant leap from the state's Lottery games.
"Our Lottery does not encourage you to max out on your credit cards, it does not serve alcohol, it will not put a lien on your home or cause children to be abandoned at parking lots," Tucker said.
Patrick appeared before the committee along with five members of his cabinet. They reiterated the administration's claim that casinos would create 20,000 full-time permanent jobs, at least 10,000 construction jobs and bring in $200 million licensing revenue per casino and about $400 million a year in taxes. They also pointed out that casinos under his plan would be taxed to pay for addiction treatment.
But casino foes yesterday disputed casino supporters' claims.
Marblehead's Kris Mineau, president of the Massachusetts Family Institute, said casino gambling is bad for family cohesiveness, and he said three casinos would add to addiction.
Asked about the governor's plan to have casinos pay for services to addicts, Mineau said, "That's like providing heroin and methadone together."
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