A City Council committee is polling neighborhoods on whether they favor a citywide vote or ward vote on casinos.
MGM Resorts International recently unveiled plans to build an $800 million casino complex in the South End, that includes renovation of existing buildings. This is a rendering of the South End streetscape under the casino plansSPRINGFIELD — Most residents who gathered for a South End neighborhood meeting on Wednesday said it makes sense to have a citywide vote on casino gambling, rather than limit it to just the ward or wards where casino projects are proposed.
“It seems logical, a citywide vote,” resident Rose Costa said. “It will impact the entire city.”
Just 11 residents and three city councilors attended the nighttime meeting at the Gentile Apartments on Williams Street, with the low attendance blamed on competing events including a debate at nearby Symphony Hall between U.S. Sen. Scott Brown and his Democratic opponent, Elizabeth Warren.
One of the proposed casinos in Springfield is being proposed in the South End by MGM Resorts International.
The council’s Planning and Economic Development Committee is conducting neighborhood meetings around the city to gauge if residents want a citywide vote or ward vote, which is one critical step for approving a casino in Springfield or some other community. Just one casino is allowed in Western Massachusetts under state law.
Of the 11 residents at the South End meeting, 10 were in favor of citywide vote.
Residents including Leo Florian and Ed Madaloni, however, said they would hope voters citywide take into strong account any concerns raised by a neighborhood where a casino is proposed.
During a prior meeting in Sixteen Acres, residents were also strongly in favor of a citywide vote.