Leaves commission with even number of members
Citing questions raised about his behavior and judgment, Stephen Crosby, the chairman of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, said on Thursday that he would no longer take part in the agency’s deliberations on Greater Boston casino matters.
Crosby’s decision leaves the commission with an even four members on Greater Boston issues, raising the possibility of voting deadlocks in the future and also giving Mohegan Sun/Brigade Capital a possible advantage in seeking approval for its Revere casino proposal. Three of the four remaining commissioners voted for a slots parlor in Plainville in part because it would keep a harness racing track there operating. The Mohegan Sun/Brigade team hopes to land the support of those same commissioners by arguing that its proposed casino at Suffolk Downs will keep the track open for at least the next 15 years.
The Crosby announcement came just before the Gaming Commission was preparing to decide on whether Boston should be designated a host community for proposed casinos in Revere and Everett. (The commission voted 4-0 against Boston in both matters.) Crosby read a prepared statement to the crowd gathered at the Massachusetts Convention Center saying neither he nor any of his fellow commissioners had any doubt about his ability to remain impartial, but that he was stepping aside on Boston decisions because criticism of his actions had “become a distraction and a potential threat to our critical appearance of total impartiality.”
Outside the hearing room, Crosby said he had been thinking about recusing himself from Greater Boston decisions for some time. He said no one action led to his decision, which he said he didn’t settle on until 10 a.m. Thursday morning. He seemed at peace with his decision, but he acknowledged he was “terribly disappointed” about having to step down. He then walked away from the press scrum and the Gaming Commission meeting went on without him.
Crosby has a strong reputation for rectitude and has been a go-to guy for Gov. Deval Patrick on a host of controversial matters, but he has taken a number of actions as chairman of the Gaming Commission that have brought him under fire. For example, he recused himself last year from any action on a land deal for the proposed Wynn Resorts casino in Everett after disclosing that he is a long-time friend and former business partner of one of the owners of the site. He waited almost a year to disclose the relationship after learning about the land deal.
Boston officials, led by Mayor Marty Walsh, have accused Crosby of being Hbiased against their bid to become a host community for the two proposed Greater Boston casinos. He took flak most recently for attending a party last Saturday at Suffolk Downs for the seasonal opening of the track. He defended his participation, noting he paid his own way and the Gaming Commission regulates horse racing, but many people, including Patrick, the person who appointed Crosby to his position, thought his appearance was inappropriate at a time when the commission is deliberating on whether to approve a casino on track property.