A proposal to bring slot machine gambling and harness racing to Biddeford has divided the city, and it has divided the Journal Tribune’s editorial board.
We can’t endorse the plan’s substantial expansion of gambling in Maine, especially since it is remarkably light on requirements or obligations for the developer. Yet we are reluctant to urge Biddeford voters to reject a plan that has the potential to yield hundreds of jobs and millions in annual tax dollars.
Despite our inability to take a stand for or against this proposal, we are in agreement about a key problem with it. The racino plan is long on promises, but offers no guarantees.
Supporters point with confidence to the project’s backers ”“ Tom Walsh and Ocean Properties. But Ocean Properties says it has no marketing studies reviewing the prospects of a Biddeford racino, and it has made no commitment of any kind to the city.
In promoting this project, city officials promise to safeguard local interests. However, this project has been brought forward by Mayor Joanne Twomey and the city administration with, in our opinion, undue haste and enthusiasm. Lacking information, voters are now being pressed to take their one and only vote on the proposal.
Yet it is easy to see why many are enthusiastic about the plan envisioned by Ocean Properties and Scarborough Downs’ Sharon Terry. As sketched out in promotional materials, Biddeford Downs would combine “the pageantry of live horse racing and the fun of a racino with first class dining and entertainment, all at a single location.”
A public relations firm has orchestrated a campaign supporting this vision, and correspondents point out that the promised 500 jobs would provide a substantial boost to the city’s economy. Without the racino, Mayor Twomey warned in a recent letter, property taxes will inevitably rise to begin paying for the expansion of Biddeford High School.
A racino would also provide an undeniable lift to the harness racing industry, and the farms and other businesses associated with it. And although the project would consume a large chunk of Biddeford’s open space, it would help protect agricultural land elsewhere from development.
The fact that Biddeford voters will face a “take-it-or-leave-it” offer next Tuesday is evidence that city government is on board as an uncritical supporter of this deal. But proponents are correct to point out that the project still requires state and local review, as well as the Legislature’s agreement to extend Maine’s 2004 racino law, plus final approval by the City Council.
The vision of a prosperous and beautiful racino complex has already convinced many that this an opportunity Biddeford cannot pass by. Many others are just as convinced that if a deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
This issue deserves every Biddeford voter’s attention because of its potential for bringing either great success, or problems that could have been avoided.
— Comments? Contact Managing Editor Nick Cowenhoven at nickc@journaltribune.com.
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