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Holyoke Mayor Now Shuts The Door To Casino Developers

Alex Morse

The mayor of Holyoke Massachusetts has changed his mind, again, on the casino issue. Mayor Alex Morse’s surprise decision  cuts the competition for the lone casino license available in western Massachusetts.  WAMC”s Pioneer Valley News Bureau Chief Paul Tuthill reports.

   In another stunning switch, Mayor Alex Morse announced Thursday that he once again opposes any casino development in Holyoke.  The change came less than three weeks after Morse had angered many of his political supporters by announcing he would open the door to casino developers.

   Morse said $25,000 fees that had been paid to the city by two developers will be refunded. One company had looked to build a casino on a golf course . A second casino was proposed by the owner of an outdoor concert venue.  Both sites are located along Interstate 91.

   This now leaves Springfield and Palmer as the only locations in western Massachusetts with active casino projects.  Casino developers must file applications and pay a non refundable $400,000 fee to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission by January 15th in order to be considered for a casino license.

   Morse was elected, at the age of 22, one of the youngest mayors in the state’s history, last year. He defeated incumbent Elaine Pluta who supported a casino development.  Angry casino opponents showed up at Holyoke City Hall when Morse held a press conference on November 26 to announce he was no longer opposed to a casino. They shouted “ liar” and  “ traitor” as Morse spoke.

   Thursday, Morse apologized.

   Morse said he remains concerned about the economic impact on Holyoke if a casino is built in Springfield, just 15 minutes away.  Morse is planning to hold a summit meeting Monday in Holyoke with other area municipal officials  to discuss the regional impact of a western Massachusetts casino.

   Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno said scheduling conflicts will prevent him,  and anyone else in his administration from attending Monday’s meeting in Holyoke.  Sarno said the meeting is premature

   In contrast to Holyoke, Sarno rolled out the red carpet to casino developers almost a year ago. The city has crafted a selection process to get developers to compete against each other to win the city’s support.

   MGM and Penn National Gaming have proposed resort casinos in different parts of downtown Springfield. Both projects  have price tags in the area of $800 million.

   Mohegan Sun has long proposed a casino on land in Palmer just off  an interchange to the Mass Pike.

The record-setting tenure of Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno. The 2011 tornado and its recovery that remade the largest city in Western Massachusetts. The fallout from the deadly COVID outbreak at the Holyoke Soldiers Home. Those are just a few of the thousands and thousands of stories WAMC’s Pioneer Valley Bureau Chief Paul Tuthill has covered for WAMC in his nearly 17 years with the station.
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