We are glad to hear that Mayor Carlo DeMaria Jr. has made it a point that as discussions progress on a mitigation contract for a proposed casino by Steven Wynn that both the Common Council and Board of Aldermen will be included in any talks.
If Wynn’s application gets past the first stage approval by the State Gaming Commission — as we expect that it will — then the more city parties that are involved in hammering out the mitigation contract, the better the chances for Everett voters approving a casino in Everett.
One only has to look at the fiasco in Foxboro earlier last year when members of the Town Government were not all on the same page and Wynn’s application was withdrawn after voters backed anti-casino candidates in their town election.
We are not saying that having all members of city government actively promoting a casino in Everett will ultimately make the proposal pass, for that decision will rest with the voters of Everett, but what we are saying is that if the elected members of city government are all on the same page, then voters will be given a much clearer view of the benefits and drawbacks of a casino.