Remember that pledge Suffolk Downs made in January guaranteeing at least 15 more years of racing at the historic track? (saving all those jobs) Welllll, it seems theyre back-tracking a bit from that now. In a letter to the Commission dated April 30, Suffolk Downs attorney reveals the true priority: a casino. They would not fulfill their pledge to continue racing -- and presumably lay off all the horsemen and women -- if the track were to get in the way of the approval or operation of a casino on the Revere parcel. Id encourage you to read the entire letter, but heres the part that shocked me: We thought it would be appropriate to note the necessary corollary to our pledge to continue racing - if, by continuing to race, Suffolk Downs would invalidate or jeopardize Mohegan Suns application or gaming license, we would not do it. We would not let racing or any other activity on the remainder of Suffolk Downs land get in the way of a successful gaming establishment on the leased parcel in Revere. (massgaming/wp-content/uploads/Commissioners-Packet-5-8-14-Part-Four.pdf, pp. 318-319) In other words, that pledge we made in January? Rubbish. The track and its workers? Expendable. The line about saving jobs at the track and keeping the 78-year-old tradition alive was just that -- a line to garner sympathy votes from Revere and East Boston voters. If, at any time after the casino is built, determine the track becomes too much of a burden on our flashy casino, well ditch it. After all, we only ever really wanted to install slot machines. To me, this pulls back the curtain to reveal what many of us figured were Suffolk Downs ownerships true intentions all along. But if Id voted yes to save the track and its workers -- in either Revere or East Boston, as I know many did -- Id certainly be furious about this lack of steadfast commitment to the track.
Posted on: Fri, 09 May 2014 15:05:32 +0000
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