Paolino, Casino Opponents Battle Over New Senate Proposal
Wednesday, June 04, 2014
Former Providence Mayor Joseph Paolino and opponents of his casino plan for Newport Grand are at odds over a new Senate bill that would require voter approval for a casino to be relocated within a city or town.
“If Newport voters approve the expansion of the type of gambling allowed in Newport, there is no constitutional right for a further vote on how many casinos will be allowed or where they will be located, and the Paiva Weed amendment does not change that,” Newport resident Frank Ray wrote in a letter to Newport Mayor Harry Winthrop and the Newport City Council. The letter was published by the Citizens Concerned About Casino Gambling website.
“We wouldn’t buy it to put it anywhere other than where it is,” Paolino said of the acquisition (pending the addition of table games in a November referendum) of the Newport Grand by his investment group, Paolino Properties. “This is strictly a scare tactic.”
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTThe Bill vs. The Theory
Senate Bill S 3038, introduced by Senate President M. Teresa Paiva Weed on May 29, states “the location where the gambling is permitted in any city or town shall not be changed within said city or town without approval of the majority of those electors voting on said proposed change in a referendum in said city or town.”
Some casino opponents are wary of the bill’s potency, citing a 2007 district court case in which Judge Melanie Wilk Thunberg ruled that the city was “powerless” to regulate Newport Grand and ordered the City of Newport to stop trying to block an expansion of the facility.
“These things don’t seem to come out until we’re in a bad place,” said Newport City Councilor Kathryn Leonard, an opponent of the referendum to put a table games question on the November ballot.
Casino opponents fear that once table games are permitted at Newport Grand, Paolino’s development group will relocate and expand the casino out to the waterfront. Paolino called that theory a scare tactic used to encourage Newport voters to say “no” to table games.
“You can’t put the cars anywhere,” Paolino said of a hypothetical waterfront casino. “Would you park them in the water? The current location is the only location that we have any interest in.”
Paiva Weed Responds
Paiva Weed's spokesperson Greg Pare responded to the debate about the bill in a written statement.
"If approved by the Assembly and ratified by the voters, S-3038 would amend the constitution to ensure that local voters have the authority to determine whether the location of a gaming facility within their city or town may be changed," Pare said. "The legislation does not address zoning concerns, nor who regulates gaming facilities. It simply gives local voters direct veto power over any proposed relocation of a gaming facility within their city or town."
Debate Rages On
Leonard said the feedback she receives from constituents regarding the casino is about "10-to-1" against adding table games.
“Visitors come for the historic nature, the culture, the beaches, the resources…how many people are going to come to go gambling?” she said. “They can go gambling anywhere. There are lots and lots of casinos now and none of them seem to be making much of a profit these days. The more casinos you have, the more revenue gets split amongst more places.”
Paolino lives in Newport and feels adding table games would only enhance the culture of the city.
“It’s not just a casino, it’s an entertainment center,” Paolino said, referencing plans to add musical shows and a spa among other attractions.
Senator Paiva Weed's proposed Amendment is scheduled to be heard Wednesday, June 4.
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