Racino backers out of gate for statewide vote

Supporters of a proposal for a tribal racetrack with up to 1,500 slot machines in Washington County have begun a petition drive to let Maine residents decide the issue in November 2006, following Governor John Baldacci's decision to veto a legislative bill that would have sent the proposal out to a referendum vote a year earlier. Approximately 53,000 signatures are needed to get the question on the ballot.

Baldacci announced on June 23 that he would veto the bill because he does not believe that the expansion of gambling will result in long-term, sustainable economic development. He stated that he had indicated previously that he would not veto the measure if it passed by a two-thirds majority in both the Maine House and Senate. The Senate narrowly failed to pass the bill by a two-thirds majority, with the 21-11 vote representing 65.6% of the 32 senators present, or just shy of 66.7%.

However, Passamaquoddy Rep. Fred Moore III, the sponsor of the bill, says that, when the governor met with tribal leaders on June 3 to discuss the measure, he never indicated a two-thirds vote was needed from the House and Senate to avoid his vetoing of the bill. At a later press conference, he did made that statement. But the governor told the tribal leaders that he would not stand in the way of having the issue go before the people of the state, according to Moore.

"His position was changing like the tide — every six hours," the tribal representative says, adding that he believes the governor was pressured by the CasinosNO lobby. "This is just another example of his word being no good."

In announcing that he would veto the bill, Baldacci did state that he would not stand in the way of any future effort that places the issue of expansion of casino gambling before the voters. The veto can be issued when the legislature is called back for a special session, perhaps later this month.

The governor stated that he is not convinced "that expanding an industry that has high societal costs is the best way for Maine to proceed. We know for certain that it will bring broken families, broken dreams, bankruptcy, increased substance abuse and addiction."

Also upset about the governor's decision was Senator Kevin L. Raye (R-Perry), who had filed the referendum legislation with Moore immediately after the governor's veto on June 9 of an earlier bill for the tribal racino. The second bill was identical to the first, except it added the requirement for a statewide referendum vote.

"It has been dizzying trying to follow the governor's conflicting public statements and twisted logic on this issue," said Raye. "I am appalled that he raised — and then dashed — the hopes of the people of Washington County, Maine's Native Americans and our state's horsemen. His decision to deny Mainers the opportunity to decide this matter at referendum is baffling."

"Sadly, in the end, the governor chose to stand with the wealthy benefactors of CasinosNO, and their phalanx of professional lobbyists who failed to get their way in the legislature. Overcoming their opposition in the House and Senate was a David versus Goliath battle. David won in the legislature, but Goliath had an ally in the Blaine House," said Raye.

Moore believes that Baldacci decided he would veto the bill because "he needed to save himself from the embarrassment" of having his first veto overridden by the people of the state. Although the governor knew that an effort would be made to place the measure on the ballot the following year through a petition drive, Moore believes the governor may have felt that supporters of the racino would lose interest or not be able to get enough signatures to place it on the ballot.

Moore also states that the governor's administration made contacts to see if the tribe would be interested in discussing the possibility of purchasing Penn National's contract for the Bangor racino. Moore says the tribe "would have been interested in having that discussion, but not at the expense of efforts in Washington County. We felt it was bait to get us to abandon the Washington County effort." He says the racino proposal is "about opportunities for Washington County."

Raye says the pending veto of the Washington County racino referendum derails, for now, a measure that would have pumped millions of dollars into Maine's economy. The Office of Fiscal and Policy Review (OFPR) had projected that, by fiscal year 2008-09, it would have generated more than $400,000 annually for each of the following entities: the Washington County Development Authority; Washington County high school vocational education; scholarships for students at Washington County Community College; and the host municipality. It would also have funded over $800,000 a year in scholarships at the University of Maine at Machias and the Unobskey School in Calais. OFPR had also projected the facility to generate more than $5.4 million a year for the state's general fund, over $4 million annually for the Fund for Healthy Maine, and $1.2 million annually to support Maine's agricultural fairs by fiscal year 2008-09.