The fact that Wynn Resorts has named Boston based Suffolk Construction as the builder of its project is a giant step toward the realization of the casino finally coming to fruition.
With all the legal challenges and rumors floating around since Wynn was awarded the sole casino license, one had to wonder if Wynn was fully committed to building in Massachusetts or would he just walk away given the difficulty of doing business in this state.
This announcement today confirms the fact that the casino will become a reality in Everett.
It would be remiss at this time if the efforts of Mayor Carlo DeMaria to first attract Wynn to Everett and then organize his team to make sure that this project became a reality are not recognized.
When DeMaria first announced that Wynn was going to consider vying for the sole Eastern Massachusetts Casino license in late 2012, most pundits considered this a very long shot.
These odds did not deter DeMaria.
He negotiated a fair deal for the City of Everett and its taxpayers that made Wynn’s casino proposal economically viable. He vigorously campaigned in 2013 along with Vinny Raggucci and his team of Everett United to make the case that this was a great deal for Everett. And when the local vote was held in June 2013, 86% of the voters supported the project.
DeMaria never lost faith in his vision of a casino on land that was once a brownfield or its positive impacts such as giving residents of Everett and surrounding communities access to the Mystic River that will be a lot cleaner in the future than it is today.
If a person can claim much credit for this project, that person is Mayor Carlo DeMaria.