Caesars Dropped From Bid; City Council Candidate Brian Gannon Weighs in on Second Failed Suffolk Downs Partnership

With support for an East Boston casino dwindling, Brian Gannon pushes for a public debate about the involvement of our elected officials in this failed process

Boston, October 19, 2013 - City Council Candidate Brian Gannon met voters this morning after yesterday evening's breaking news that Caesars has been dropped from the Suffolk Downs casino bid. An increasingly wary public, skeptical after a second failed casino partnership, is expressing their disapproval of Suffolk Downs' ability to find a partner - the first refused to submit to background checks and the Massachusetts Gaming Commission claims they uncovered "red flags" in the second, Caesars.

"Our current District 1 City Council representative Sal LaMattina told us Caesars was 'as professional as they come' and 'the best company to do business with,'" Gannon said. "If that is the case, and they cannot pass the Gaming Commission's background checks, it could not be more apparent that this is the wrong move for our city." Gannon continued, "Our current City Council moved ahead with a November 5 referendum knowing that a background check had not been completed and now Suffolk Downs expects voters to approve this referendum on good faith that the next partner they find in the coming weeks will be good for the city of Boston - the voters in my district are increasingly disillusioned by that prospect."

With just over two weeks to go until the November 5 mayoral election where Gannon will face pro-casino opponent and incumbent Sal LaMattina in the District 1 City Council race, the casino seems to be losing favor among voters with recent polls favoring a no casino East Boston. "I am concerned for my neighbors and my neighborhood of East Boston that Suffolk Downs will use this setback to find a way to push this vote back further to buy themselves more time to buy the voters' approval," stated Gannon. "We want the vote to move forward on November 5 as planned; the public has seen enough of the poor planning and lack of transparency on behalf of our elected officials in this entire process - something I hope to change once I am elected."