Suffolk Downs chief: We have the best casino choice

REVERE – Officials in Everett announced last month they are ready to take the next step in their bid to bring a casino to the city but Suffolk Downs and Revere officials are unconcerned.”Who?” said Suffolk Downs Chief Operating Officer Chip Tuttle when asked if he was concerned about Las Vegas casino operator Steve Wynn’s proposal for the area.Wynn has proposed a $1.2 billion resort casino at the former industrial site on the Mystic River. A recent rendering of the plan showed a 19-story hotel and casino with restaurants and retail shops. The proposal would be in direct competition with Suffolk Downs.”We have the best location, the best proposal and ultimately it will be the best choice,” Tuttle said.Tuttle said the plan is to set the standard in all aspects of the casino venture including public safety, job creation and sustainable design.Tuttle attended a community business meeting in Revere Wednesday where his head of security Paul Evans spoke on issues that could impact the community if Suffolk is granted a gaming license. Brightly colored sketches of what a casino at Suffolk Downs might look like were lined up around the room.Chamber of Commerce President Robert Upton stood looking at the sketches. The tide is rising for Revere and the casino is one of the driving forces, he said. He praised Tuttle, calling him a good neighbor for holding community meetings to discuss issues but Upton downplayed concerns about the traffic.”I’m old enough to remember when Revere Beach, Wonderland Race Track and Suffolk were all in full swing,” he said. “We can handle it.”Tuttle said as for pushing the Suffolk project forward, things were largely on schedule.”We’re making some good progress,” he said. “We’re close to finalizing the host agreements with Boston and Revere. We’ve had good dialogue with each city.”Tuttle said once the host agreements are finalized and signed they will go to the city councils in both communities for an election date. A referendum vote is needed in each community before the project can proceed any further.”Once they are signed the clock starts ticking,” he said. “We have 60-90 days for a vote.”Mayor Daniel Rizzo said he expected there would be a referendum vote by early to mid-July. Like Tuttle he is also confident that Suffolk will prevail over the Wynn proposal. Suffolk has more land available, which is a big factor and its proposal is “heads and shoulders over Wynn’s cookie cutter proposal,” he said.Chris Stevens can be reached at [email protected]. Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.