News and Notes - March 6

- "It's like putting lipstick on a pig," said Massachusetts state Representative Daniel Bosley in response to a glossy 11-page color brochure distributed to lawmakers by Governor Deval Patrick, as he tries to push his casino initiative, which may or may not include a racino for Suffolk Downs.

"The pamphlets sent out by Governor Patrick today are not half as slick as his phony economics," added Barney Keller, spokesman for the state Republican Party. "Instead of wasting money sending out these mailers, he should be focusing on providing Massachusetts residents with real job numbers for his proposals." [Boston Globe]

Patrick was blasted earlier this week for a pronouncement that casinos would create 30,000 construction jobs for the state. House Speaker Sal DiMasi called the number "absurd;" Patrick responded by saying that "whatever the number is, it beats the opposition, which is zero." The Governor's office admitted that the number was based on an estimate by Suffolk Downs, which would compete for one of three licenses should a bill pass.

"The fact that those figures were taken from Suffolk Downs, a casino advocate, at face value and simply multiplied by three [makes] the argument . . . even more questionable," the DiMasi statement said.

The new pamphlet claims instead that "tens of thousands" of construction jobs would result.

Today, a report released by the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce found that 10,000 to 11,500 one-time construction jobs would be created – much lower than the 30,000 jobs that the governor has been touting. [Boston Globe] Though other projections in the report are said to be largely consistent, though slightly lower, than those that the Patrick administration has been using, those construction job numbers are obviously not going to help the governor's credibility as the debate goes forward.

- Don't expect to see any State Troopers hanging around New York's racinos from this point on. Even before the annual budget fiasco even gets to the fiasco stage, the State Police are being reassigned, leaving law enforcement to the local authorities. In what should be a surprise and a disappointment to slots opponents who cite the horrible crime that casinos bring, a spokesperson for Governor Spitzer said:

“We believe that these racinos are an inherently safe atmosphere and have a history of few serious crimes,” Anderson said. “We believe [the troopers] can be put to better use in these high crime areas.” [Schenectady Gazette]

- Julien Leparoux has 24 wins from just 108 mounts at the current Fair Grounds meeting.