Politics & Government

Mass Gaming Commission Weighs Options On Cancellation of Special Elections

Tewksbury Selectmen are meeting Friday to discuss the possibility of canceling the Sept. 21 special election on casino gaming.


At their Thursday meeting, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission announced they would be looking into whether or not a community can cancel a scheduled special election - a situation Tewksbury finds itself in now. 

Three days after the defeat of proposed zoning changes to accommodate a slots-only casino at Special Town Meeting, Tewksbury Selectmen are meeting to discuss the possible cancellation of a Sept. 21 special election on casino gaming.

Penn National Gaming announced they would not be moving forward with their proposed Merrimack Valley Casino at Ames Pond Drive, making the special election unnecessary. 

According to Elaine Driscoll, Director of Communications for the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, Ombudsman John Ziemba brought this issue before the Commission on Thursday.

"This issue came to our attention yesterday, and the ombudsman raised it to the Commission today," Driscoll said.

Driscoll said it was determined that the ombudsman and Commission legal team would do additional research on options for communities looking to cancel a special election, and present their findings to the Commission at a Sept. 4 meeting.

One of the options being explored by the Commission is the development of "emergency regulation" to allow communities like Tewksbury to cancel scheduled special elections, according to Driscoll.

The host community agreement Tewksbury signed with Penn National requires Penn to reimburse the town for the costs of both the Aug. 20 Special Town Meeting and the Sept. 21 special election. 


 


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