Citizens Say Yes to Mass. Casino

It took the Native American Mashpee tribe over thirty years to receive recognition from the state of Massachusetts and only a couple of months to have its offer to build a casino in the town of Middleborough. In a highly anticipated town hall meeting, residents of the small rural town voted in favor of approving the tribe's request.

The town, less than an hour's drive away from state capital Boston, which numbers about 20,373 residents, was convinced by the promise of a multi-million business brining in enormous sums in infrastructure improvements, annual payments and taxes. Though opponents criticized the proposed deal for being too low, "not generous enough," as some were quoted saying, it does promise the townsfolk to enjoy improvements valued as high as $250 million and annual benefits over $10 million. Such benefits may lift the town from its status as struggling and stagnant, with the money, tourism and media attention that will come.

Some of the opponents tried to appeal to state legislatures and officials in preventing the meeting from taking place. Appeals to Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley to rule against the holding the meeting, and to state Governor Deval Patrick to change the existing ruling that allows for gambling activities to take place in the region.

In spite of these efforts, the meeting did take place. It even ended up with a positive decision favoring the $1 billion casino initiative by the Mashpee. After all hands were raised and votes registered, 2,387 voted in favor and 1,335 against the casino.

The vote, however, has no real significance other than a general expression of the town's welcoming of the Mashpees and their business. As state Treasurer Tim Cahill has put it, it was merely "a hypothetical exercise." It was by all means also a practice in civil society, activism and democracy like in the old days (the town was settled in 1660). The thousands of participants debated the issue for 2 ½ hours, at the local high school's athletic field. It is surely to receive more debates and discussions, even some arguments, and certainly more attention.