The announcement that international casino mogul Steve Wynn has put up the $400,000 application fee to the state to be considered for the license for a casino in the Greater Boston area certainly comes as exciting news for every resident in the City of Everett. Indeed, we daresay that Wynn’s proposed $1 billion casino on the site of the former Monsanto plant along the Mystic River is the biggest thing to hit this city in its long history (although the success of our High School Super Bowl football teams rates a close second).
We certainly understand that there may be some objections to locating a casino here (the people of Foxborough soundly rejected a casino for their community) and we expect there will be a vetting process at which the public will be heard.
We agree with Mayor Carlo DeMaria who said; “This is a first step in a long process. We are excited to negotiate a host agreement that will be in the best interests for the citizens of Everett.”
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However, what is clear is that Mayor DeMaria should be applauded for his efforts in persuading Mr. Wynn to look at the Monsanto site as a location for his casino. The benefits to Everett of a casino unquestionably would be substantial in many ways (and in our view would vastly outweigh the drawbacks). Wynn and Everett now will be competing with Caesar’s International and Suffolk Downs (which is in East Boston and Revere) for the coveted Greater Boston license.
But whatever the outcome of the process at the state level, it is good to know that we have a chief executive in Mayor DeMaria who is being both creative and bold in his efforts to ensure the future financial stability of our city.