Council Casino Committee Appointed

Council President Peter Gill has appointed Councilor-at-Large Larry Powers, and Councilors Craig Mael and Russell Sanford to the Council’s casino committee.

The committee, which held its first meeting Monday night, will serve as the liaison between the Council and officials at Suffolk Downs in relation to the $1 billion casino/resort that Suffolk is proposing to build at the current site of the East Boston racetrack.

The committee will also seek community input about the proposed casino and its impact on Winthrop.

Powers provided the Council an update on the committee’s first meeting.

“We noted that the casino committee was established to provide the Town Council for the council to assist them in the creation of a negotiating committee with developers of Suffolk Downs,” said Powers. “The committee is designed to allow the town to better communicate to the developers the factors that will create issues and concerns for the citizens.”

The next one is scheduled for Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Joseph Harvey Room.

Powers said eight people attended the committee’s first meeting. He added that the major concerns raised by those in attendance were: crime, traffic, drunken driving, and the impact on local housing and businesses.

Powers said the committee plans to hold a series of public meetings.