On the eve of Everett’s referendum vote on casino gambling, the president of the Board of Aldermen says he doesn’t know a single elected official in the city who’s opposed to casino magnate Steve Wynn’s $1.2 billion plan to turn a polluted waterfront industrial site into a world-class gaming resort.
“It’s all people are thinking about,” said Salvatore F. Sachetta, the city’s oldest elected official. “Every place you go, all anybody wants to know is, are you for it or are you against it.”
Approval by voters today would be the first step as Wynn competes against Suffolk Downs in East Boston and a Foxwoods Resort Casino proposal in Milford for the single casino license in the region.
Sachetta, 83, a retired accountant, said he has heard snippets of opposition.
“The biggest concern I hear among people opposed to it is the possibility that crime will increase or, No. 1, that traffic will increase,” he said. “The city is gridlocked now even without it.”
The board president said Wynn has promised extensive improvements. The city has signed a host community agreement that would give it $25 million.
“I’ve attended casinos all over the country and there’s no more crime in those cities than any other place in the country,” he said.
“This will put Everett on the map,” Sachetta said. “People always say to me, ‘Oh, you live in Everett,’ meaning it’s a crappy city. But it won’t be a crappy city if we get this.”
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