What other industry other than State Sponsored Addiction gets reported monthly?
Showing posts with label overstated projections. Show all posts
Showing posts with label overstated projections. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 11, 2015
Plainridge Slot Barn Declining Revenue, Gambling Market Saturation....
What other industry other than State Sponsored Addiction gets reported monthly?
Monday, June 22, 2015
MASSterList offers great recap!
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By George Donnelly (@geodonnelly) - with Sara Brown
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We regret to inform you it's Monday. Here's what's happening
Gov. Baker joins Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders and Attorney General Maura Healey to announce the recommendations of the Opioid Working Group in Room 157, State House, 11 a.m. ... State officials make an $88.5 million Springfield Union Station funding announcement in Springfield. Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito joins Congressman Richard Neal and Mayor Domenic Sarno... Boston Mayor Martin Walsh hosts a USA Women's Soccer viewing party with members of the Boston Breakers, the city's professional women's soccer team, City Hall Plaza, One City Hall Square, 8 pm. The team is slated to play against Colombia.
The week ahead: Here comes the Master Developer?
The Dorchester Reporter (Lauren Dezenski) broke the news last week about Boston 2024 deploying the concept of a "master developer," a deep-pocketed, well-established player who would buy land around Widett Circle, the proposed site for the Olympic stadium, build out the area and have development rights thereafter. The Herald reported out the story later in the week, quoting Boston 2024's Rich Davey as saying he likes the idea. Expect the Globe to either discover or advance the story early this week. This seems to be the way the Boston 2024 people will have sell the of the Olympic venue conundrums -- shifting the acquisition risk away from the taxpayer to the private sector.
Tom Brady will make his appeal to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on Tuesday, and it will dominate the headlines for a few days. It's good odds Tom will get a break -- there are simply too many lawyers in the room. So look for the four-game suspension to be reduced. Goodell will play judge and jury. Here's a thorough take by Ben Volin yesterday http://tinyurl.com/ogzvw5x and a solid pro-con analysis in today's Herald by Jeff Howe. http://tinyurl.com/q2qvbp5
At long last, a casino opens in this week in Plainville. How did we ever make it to 2015 without one? Expect plenty of stories, like the Globe's front page article this morning, on what it all means. Here's Steve Crosby, state chairman of the state Gaming Commission: "This is as big a change in the cultural, social, and economic face of Massachusetts as I have seen in almost 50 years." Does it really mean that much to be able to drop money into a fancy electronic slot machine? Hyperbole reigns.
The biotech boom continues, as three local life sciences companies are expected to complete initial public offerings this week. The Boston Business Journal's Don Seiffert has the story. http://tinyurl.com/phz97uk
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Follow-up: Learning more about 'critical' state employees
It may not be the most "critical" story out there, but it does raise some questions about the Baker administration's workforce reduction plans. And I can't let it go yet. In the process of hashing out the early retirement incentives designed to save about $170 million, Administration & Finance was asked by the Legislature to flag "critical" employees who would not be eligible because, well, they were important to an agency's mission. But the Baker people seem to have gotten away with a bizarre definition of a "critical" state employee. To A&F, a critical employee is someone whose position is supported by outside funds, and thus, whose departure would not save the Commonwealth money. A "critical" employee is actually an irrelevant one, as far as saving the state money goes. On Friday I relayed the story of Donna Brennan, a longtime state employee on the Merit Rating Board who wants to take the retirement incentive. Because the insurance industry funds her job, she is not eligible, as are workers in many departments. The same goes for Division of Banks and Department of Public Utilities. The question remains if anyone has been tagged as "critical" in the old-fashioned sense -- as the Legislature asked. Shira Schoenberg of MassLive covered this strange semantic policy last month, and it seems no lawmakers have objected to the weird definition of "critical."
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***SPONSORED***
Let's keep shark privateers out of Massachusetts... We've seen it all across America, the greedy shark privatizers taking over public facilities with a lot of promises...and leaving only abysmal performance in their wake. A few years ago, corporate privatizers took over the commuter rail side of the MBTA... where they ran up an appalling record of penalties for poor service and late and canceled trains.
Now, they're circling Boston Harbor again. Fortunately, now Massachusetts has an effective barrier to prevent unscrupulous or incompetent privateers from taking over vital public services... called the Pacheco Law. But the privateers and their political pals are hard at work trying to gut these Pacheco protections. Let's stop them!!
***SPONSORED***
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Another key BRA official leaves...
...And now Mayor Marty Walsh has additional opportunity to reshape the agency, writes the Herald. Enrico Lopez is leaving for Florida, where his wife has a new job. "...Lopez was often the first stop for developers' proposals, and he supervised the project managers who track them through the approval process," the Herald's JackEncarnacao writes. http://tinyurl.com/ouhe234
State's new definition of poor has big policy implications
A new methodology of categorizing low-income students has drastically reduced the numbers believed to be low-income from about three-quarters to half, according to a story in the Globe by James Vaznis. The percentages are lower across the state as well. "The new calculations are expected to lead tom major changes by the Legislature in the way state aid for needy students is distributed to local schools and could even affect how much school systems receive in state reimbursements for construction projects," Vaznis writes. http://tinyurl.com/n9mc5tq
The weekend's best stuff, ICYMI
Go south, young men and women: Providence is making a comeback from the throes of the recession, in part because it is relatively cheap and has easy access to Boston. Some young techies are nesting there too, as early-stage startups gravitate towards inexpensive rent.
My question is, where's the story on Worcester? Isn't it making a comeback, too? Wait a minute, Paul McMorrow, now an economic development official, wrote one for the Globe a year and a half ago focused on reviving the downtown.http://tinyurl.com/ow6zvey
If we win, do we lose? Just what is the endgame of the city's suit against the state Gaming Commission? Some activists in East Boston are horrified that the city will prevail and put Suffolk Downs back in play. "...Walsh has a history of accommodating casino plans at Suffolk Downs - and that his ties to the track have deepened recently," writes the Globe editorial writer Alan Wirzbicki.http://tinyurl.com/no3th3r
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***SPONSORED***
FIX PUBLIC RECORDS. The public records law hasn't been updated since 1973, and excessive fees, other barriers, and lack of accountability keep us in the dark. Instead of a sunshine law, we have a flashlight without batteries. It's time to bring transparency into the 21st century with electronic records, lower costs, and fees for unlawful denials-just like in 46 other states. The law's failures are well documented, but so are the solutions: aclum.org/public_records
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How to reach me and MASSterList
Nothing makes me happier than comments, tips, suggestions. Please don't hesitate to weigh in on what we're missing and where we should look. Reach me atgdonnelly@massterlist.com or on Twitter @geodonnelly.
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Tuesday, June 24, 2014
Massachusetts: REPEAL THE CASINO DEAL!
JOIN HERE:
REPEAL THE CASINO DEAL!
This from Reuters:
http://in.reuters.com/article/2014/06/24/massachusetts-gambling-idINL6N0P557C20140624
REPEAL THE CASINO DEAL!
This from Reuters:
Massachusetts court OKs gambling referendum
BOSTON, June 24
The question came before the court after Massachusetts Attorney General
Martha Coakley sought to block the casino referendum, arguing it could violate
property rights of developers.
The "voters of Massachusetts may choose to abolish casino and slots parlor
gambling," the court said in its unanimous decision, noting gambling opponents
had gathered more than enough signatures to place the question on the
ballot.
Coakley, a Democrat who is running for governor, said in a statement she was
pleased the court had ruled on the matter and that "it is now an issue that will
be decided by the voters in the fall."
Under the gambling law, Massachusetts can award one slot parlor license and
three casino licenses statewide.
The slots license was awarded in February and just one of the three casino
licenses has been awarded. The winner, Las Vegas developer MGM Resorts
International, has put off formally accepting the license for its development in
the western Massachusetts city of Springfield until the repeal question is
settled.
Meanwhile, developers Mohegan Sun and Wynn Resorts are seeking the state's
eastern Massachusetts license with competing proposals for Revere and Everett.
The state's gaming commission is expected to choose between the two in
August.
Officials from MGM, Mohegan Sun and Wynn were not immediately available to
comment on the court's decision.
Casino advocates say the resorts will bring windfalls to cash-strapped
communities and staunch the flow of money into casinos elsewhere in the
Northeast. Critics say casinos could drive up crime and hurt property
values.
"This is kind of a small victory in a big battle that we're still fighting,"
said Joseph Catricala, co-chair of Don't Gamble on Revere, a casino-opposition
group that led the referendum effort. He called the statewide vote the "best
shot" at stopping casino development in the state.
Casino gambling has had mixed success in New England. Connecticut has two
large casinos owned by Indian tribes, Maine has two small casinos and Rhode
Island has two slot machine parlors. New Hampshire state legislators last year
rejected a bill that would have allowed construction of a casino that had strong
support from Governor Maggie Hassan. (Editing by Richard Valdmanis and Bill
Trott)
http://in.reuters.com/article/2014/06/24/massachusetts-gambling-idINL6N0P557C20140624
Friday, November 29, 2013
REPEAL THE CASINO DEAL may make ballot
Casino, gas tax increase repeals may make ballot
By Michael Levenson
| Globe Staff November 29, 2013Major casino and gas tax initiatives designed to raise hundreds of millions of dollars for transportation, local aid, and other needs could be undone by Massachusetts voters at the ballot box next year.
Secretary of State William F. Galvin said two proposals — one that would repeal the state’s casino law and another that would eliminate automatic increases in the state gas tax — are among seven ballot questions that appear to have garnered enough signatures to qualify for the November 2014 ballot.
The proposals would allow voters to eradicate two key items that state lawmakers and Governor Deval Patrick spent years devising. The ballot questions would also have serious implications for the state budget, which relies on gambling and gas revenue to pay for road and bridge projects and basic services such as trash pickup in cities and towns.
“It would force difficult choices to be made,” said Stephen M. Brewer, a Barre Democrat who is the state Senate’s budget chief. “We would be governed by what the vox populi says.”
Supporters of the ballot questions say they were able to gather enough signatures by tapping into a deep vein of anger over the legalization of casinos and at the prospect of automatic increases in the gas tax — two items that were championed by Patrick.
“It’s a taxpayer revolt,” said Steven W. Aylward, a Republican activist from Watertown and leader of the Tank the Gas Tax coalition.
David Guarino, a spokesman for the group Repeal the Casino Deal, said the coalition also harnessed voter discontent.
“We know from experience that David doesn’t often topple Goliath, but we have the deep-pocketed casino industry on the ropes, and we think voters deserve the chance to deliver the final blow,” Guarino said.
Tank the Gas Tax, a group made up of Republican lawmakers and activists, is pushing to repeal a law approved earlier this year that triggers automatic increases in the tax when inflation rises.
The measure was part of a larger tax increase that raised the gas tax from 21 cents to 24 cents per gallon.
The ballot question would leave that 3 cent per gallon increase intact, but would prevent future increases tied to inflation.
The governor and Legislature pushed the gas tax increase to help fund repairs to deteriorating roads and bridges, and to expand rail and bus lines. State officials say that linking the gas tax to inflation will generate $5.7 million for the state next year and then grow annually to about $183 million in 2024.
But Aylward’s group says the law flies in the face of basic democratic principles, by eliminating the need for legislators to vote every time they increase taxes.
“They’re changing the paradigm, and they want the taxes to be automatic,” Aylward said. “That removes the accountability for elected officials, and that’s what’s so infuriating to people.”
Aylward said volunteers gathered more than 100,000 signatures — well beyond the 68,911 needed — to place the gas-tax repeal on the 2014 ballot. Galvin said the signatures are still being certified, but he agreed the referendum is “running up a pretty good surplus” and should qualify for the ballot.
Brewer asserted that it would be a mistake to repeal the gas tax law. He said that linking the tax to inflation guarantees that it does not lose its purchasing power as the cost of goods rises.
“The cost of steel never goes down, road materials — because they’re fossil-fueled based — never go down, and labor costs don’t go down,” he said. “And, we hadn’t adjusted our share of the gas tax in 23 years.”
The ballot question that would repeal the 2011 casino law is facing a tougher road.
Galvin said the question appears to have enough signatures to qualify for the ballot. But Attorney General Martha Coakley has ruled that the question would violate the Constitution by taking away the contract rights of companies that applied for casino licenses, without compensating them for their losses.
Repeal the Casino Deal is challenging her ruling in the Supreme Judicial Court, and says it is hopeful that, if it prevails, it can build on the recent string of defeats that casino proposals were dealt in elections in East Boston, Palmer, and Milford.
“We remain hopeful and optimistic, though we know we have a long road to go to reverse this ill-advised casino deal,” Guarino said.
Brewer said outlawing casinos would pose a serious challenge for the state, which is counting on $300 million to $500 million in future gambling revenue to help pay
for police officers and firefighters, among other essential services.
The Patrick administration declined to comment on the ballot questions and referred instead to comments the governor made on Nov. 20, when he was asked about the cities and towns that have rejected casino proposals.
“No, I don’t think the law should be repealed,” Patrick said then. “It’s working exactly as it’s supposed to, which is to authorize up to three destination resort licenses and one ‘Racino,’ I guess it’s called, and to let local communities make decisions about whether they wanted the facilities on their own.”
He doesn't want a casino in his town!
Five other questions appear to have qualified for the ballot, Galvin said.
A question sponsored by environmental groups would extend the nickel deposit on soft drinks to noncarbonated beverages such as water, iced tea, and juice.
Four union-backed proposals would raise the minimum wage from $8 an hour to $10.50; allow workers to earn up to 40 hours a year in paid sick time; establish limits on the number of hospital patients assigned to each nurse; and seek to curb hospital operating margins and pay for hospital executives.
http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2013/11/29/voter-anger-propels-ballot-questions-repeal-casino-law-and-automatic-gas-tax-increases/9Ua9MQjkUnmdQq7NlwvJSI/story.html?s_campaign=email_BG_TodaysHeadline
Casino law’s foes are still in the game
By Shirley Leung | Globe Columnist
November 29, 2013
Here’s an early Christmas gift from me to all you casino opponents out there: The repeal could be real.
For months now, you have been furiously collecting signatures to get on the 2014 ballot to repeal our nascent casino law, even hiring about 20 people to stand in front of supermarkets. Well, last week you turned in over 90,000 signatures, and now the secretary of state says Repeal the Casino Deal appears to have the necessary signatures to move forward in the referendum process.
Of course, anything having to do with casinos in our state is complicated. Attorney General Martha Coakley dealt you an unexpected blow in September when her office ruled that repealing the casino law is unconstitutional. You appealed to the Supreme Judicial Court, and that’s where you and the attorney general will likely square off.
Do you have a chance? You bet. There’s enough gray to fill a book with at least 50 shades.
“My first reaction: It sounds very thorny to me,” said former Justice John Greaney, who spent 20 years on the SJC and now teaches law at Suffolk University. “The only definitive way to settle that would be an opinion from my old court.”
Peter Sacks, a senior attorney and state constitutional expert in Coakley’s office, wrote in an 11-page decision that when casino companies pay substantial fees to apply for gaming licenses it’s an implied contract — and there’s an expectation that the gaming commission will award them. Contract rights are considered property, and as such, he noted, they may not be “taken” by an initiative petition.
But others disagree. Applicants may have paid a $400,000 fee to compete for a gaming license, and that might seem like a contract, but the casino law makes it clear the commission doesn’t have to hand out a slot parlor license or any of the three resort casino licenses. Because of that, applicants know they may go through the process and end up with nothing. They also know that once awarded a license, the commission can revoke or suspend it at any time.
“There is some kind of room for interpretation here,” said Lawrence Friedman, a professor at New England Law who wrote the book on the Massachusetts state constitution. (For real — it’s 245 pages long.) “The attorney general’s current opinion hangs on the conclusion that the casino applicants have an implied contract with the Commonwealth. Whether the applicants actually have such an interest is debatable.”
Greaney believes the SJC will deal with this case right away, given that the commission wants to hand out licenses by the spring. If the court sides with the repeal group, Greaney says, the commission may choose to suspend the licensing process until the ballot outcome because there would be so much uncertainty.
Ouch. For the pro-casino folks, Greaney just sounded like the Grinch who stole Christmas.
“I am sure they have thought about it,” he said of the possibility of delaying licenses. If the commission waits until the ballot passes, “it’s going to be a much bigger mess.”
Here, we’re getting a little ahead of ourselves. Even if the SJC allows the petition to move forward, there are still more steps. Proposed ballot petitions are sent in January to the Legislature, which has until the first week of May to decide whether to trump voters and change laws in question preemptively. If no action is taken, proponents must gather another 11,485 signatures by July to get on the November ballot. Then, of course, there’s a vote.
To gambling opponents, the casino law has been an unwanted gift but with no easy return policy.
http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2013/11/29/repeal-casino-law-could-real/VWDattx0Zy9NgkmQ1gyyeO/story.html
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