Deval Patrick Governor Blamed for Gambling Law Failure
Written by Matt W | Sunday, August 22nd, 2010
Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick came under fire this week as he was blamed for the stalemate reached with regard to the advancement of gambling laws in the state. Patrick has refused to budge from his stand regarding gambling laws, resulting in the collapse of negotiations to form one common law and pass it through the House before it ended its annual session.
Emotions came to a head against the governor after the Wonderland Greyhound Park, which has been running for 75 years, was forced to lay off 150 of its workers. State Rep. Kathi-Ann Reinstein, a proponent of new laws that would have seen three casino resorts and two slots venues built in Massachusetts, spent the day at the race course trying to comfort those workers laid off.
“Some of these people are husband and wife. They’re going to have to talk to their kids about holding off on college,” said Reinstein. “The tragedy of this is that it was unbelievably preventable. I can’t tell you how disappointed I am in the governor. He doesn’t value these people.”
Speaking on behalf of House Speaker Robert DeLeo, another supporter of the failed bill, Seth Gitell said: “DeLeo warned that anything less than Governor Patrick signing the compromise gaming bill, which would have allowed three resort casinos and two slots venues, posed the risk that workers might be laid off. Now, regrettably, that warning has come to pass.”
Therese Murray, Senate President, also blasted Governor Patrick for failing to sign the gambling bill.
“It didn’t have to happen,” she said of Wonderland’s failure. “We feel we sent a bill to the governor that he could have signed. But the bill was altered and sent back to Legislature, knowing that we simply wouldn’t have the votes necessary to come back into session and take it up.”
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· Written by Matt W · Filed Under Poker Gossip · Comments Off
