By Paul Tuthill
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wamc/local-wamc-993133.mp3
Holyoke, MA – Voters in one of the most impoverished cities in Massachusetts have staked the future on a 22 year old recent graduate of Brown University. By electing Alex Morse to be the next mayor of Holyoke, it means the old mill city might not take a chance on a casino to bring jobs and revenue..WAMC"s Pioneer Valley Bureau Chief Paul Tuthill reports
A new era in Holyoke was ushered in through the ballot box Tuesday, when Alex Morse won 55 percent of the vote for mayor. In January, he will succeed 67 year old Mayor Elaine Pluta who will retire after decades in local politics.
Morse has ambitious plans. He says he'll assemble a transition team of the best and brightest, experts in education, economic development, and public safety.
And Morse says his number one job will be as Holyoke's chief marketing officer.
Tim Vercellotti, professor of political science at Western New England University, says Morse charmed Holyoke with a campaign that began ten months before the election, made effective use of social media and the candidate's fluency in Spanish to reach out to Hispanic voters.
Mayor Pluta endorsed a proposal to build a resort casino in Holyoke as a way to create hundreds of jobs and raise millions in revenue. But Morse is decidedly cool to casino gambling. He said during the campaign Holyoke should pin its economic development on a high performance computing center that is being built by a consortium of universities and high tech companies.
Anthony Cignolli, a member of the group looking to develop a casino in Holyoke says Morse's election will not deter their plans.
Massachusetts legislative leaders are still working to craft a final casino bill. Legislation passed by both the house and senate would authorize one casino license in the four western most counties. A gambling facility with just slot machines could be built anywhere in the state.
In addition to Holyoke, casino plans are on the table in Palmer and Brimfield, and gaming companies are said to be eyeing more locations. Voters in a host community would have to approve before a casino license could be issued.