Kennedy: New Suffolk partner crucial

LYNN – Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy said a plan to put a Suffolk Downs casino in Revere can win Massachusetts Gaming Commission support if racetrack executives are able to add a critical component to their plan.
?I think it?s going to depend on who they get as a partner – I think it?s viable,” she said.
After meeting with Revere Mayor Daniel Rizzo and Suffolk Chief Operating Officer Chip Tuttle last week, Kennedy this week said she wants to hear what Revere and Lynn business owners think about a Revere-only casino.
She suggested chambers of commerce for both communities meet with their members to discuss Suffolk?s and Rizzo?s goal of sending a revised gambling complex plan to the gambling commission by Dec. 31.
Suffolk and former partner Caesars Entertainment proposed a year ago spending $1 billion in Revere and East Boston to build a casino around the Suffolk Downs horse track and employing 4,000 people.
Caesars withdrew from its partnership role in October following a “suitability investigation” conducted and required under the 2011 state law establishing the process for bringing gambling to Massachusetts.
East Boston residents rejected casino gambling at Suffolk in a Nov. 5 vote, but Revere residents voted for a Suffolk casino. Rizzo quickly vowed to support a Suffolk plan to build a casino on 52 acres in Revere.
In a letter to gambling commissioners last week, Suffolk Chairman William Mulrow plans to enter into an agreement with a new partner by the end of November. Revere Chamber of Commerce President Robert Upton said gambling commissioners should consider “the larger picture” when they meet early next year to award casino licenses.
Upton said the city has a long history as a recreation destination, including Suffolk Downs? and the former Wonderland Greyhound Park?s presence in the city.
He thinks a Suffolk casino in Revere will increase real estate prices around Revere Beach and spur commercial development in Lynn and Revere. Upton said the Revere chamber has about 150 members.
?Business opportunities on the North Shore would be increased. Revere is the gateway to the North Shore so it makes sense to host a casino,” Upton said.
He likes Kennedy?s proposal for a joint discussion on the casino plan between Revere and Lynn chamber members. Lynn Area Chamber of Commerce President Leslie Gould has not surveyed the organization?s 400 members but said she has not heard from members opposed to a Suffolk casino.
?It?s an incredible opportunity for two communities right next to each other to work together,” Gould said.
She said Revere and Lynn business owners probably will discuss waterfront and beachfront business opportunities and infrastructure improvements at a joint meeting to discuss a Suffolk casino. Gould thinks plans for a Lynn ferry and current mass transit routes make Suffolk Downs a more accessible potential casino location than Wynn?s Everett site.