Wynn Casino Petition Seeks 'Host Community' Status for Charlestown

More than 200 people have signed an online petition asking the Charlestown be declared a host community for the proposed Wynn LLC resort casino in nearby Everett.

The petition, posted at change.org, had 218 signatures as of Tuesday, Aug. 6, and seeks to give Charlestown a voice in the decision-making process for the proposal. Many of the supporters come from Charlestown, but residents of other Boston neighborhoods, Somerville and Revere have also signed the petition. 

“If Charlestown is granted ‘host community’ status, residents of Charlestown will have the opportunity to vote in favor or opposition of the casino project. In essence, Charlestown would have a say in deciding if the casino could be considered by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission (who will have the ultimate say),” the petitioner wrote on change.org.

Boston officials recently voiced concerns about the Wynn casino project’s possible effects on Charlestown traffic, particularly in the Sullivan Square area, as well as environmental impacts and other issues.

The petition, posted by “Residents of Charlestown,” reads as follows:

We, the undersigned residents of Charlestown-Ward 2, Boston, urge you to declare "host community" status for our neighborhood. As the 2011 expanded Gaming Bill stipulates, 

in a city with a population of at least 125,000..., "host community" shall mean the ward in which the gaming establishment is to be located for the purpose of receiving a certified and binding vote on a ballot question at an election; 

We believe the spirit of this neighborhood specific vote is to ensure that in a larger city, like Boston, the residents of the most impacted areas have some guarantee that their neighborhood will be protected against the interests of the larger municipality in which they are incorporated. 

The Wynn-Everett Casino site sits upon a uniquely configured parcel. The interpretation of the Gaming Bill by the proponents of the Wynn Casino currently leaves Charlestown unprotected as a Host Community. By declaring Charlestown a “host community” the Massachusetts Gaming Commission will be granting the people of Charlestown (Ward 2) the same protections enjoyed by the residents of East Boston (Ward 1). The majority of vehicles traveling to the Casino will pass through Charlestown. Also, the entire neighborhood of Charlestown is closer to the Wynn Everett site than approximately one-third of the residents of Everett. The proposed site contains land and harbor area which are part of the Charlestown neighborhood of Boston. Yet Charlestown residents may be subject to the granting of a lower status of "surrounding community". We are losing precious time while the "host community" issue is being debated. Therefore, we also urge you to begin the "surrounding community" negotiations as the first step toward eventual "host community" status. We believe that these two processes can occur simultaneously. 

Should that higher status be achieved it would strengthen our position as a community. Should Charlestown not receive "host community" status it may be too late to properly access the limited protections that even "surrounding community" status would grant the residents of Charlestown. As it is now our community is not at the table. 

Read more:

• City of Boston Comments on Wynn LLC EENF
• The Wynn Project Extended Environmental Notification Form 
• Letter from State Rep. Gene O'Flaherty
• Letter from District 1 Boston City Councilor Sal LaMattina
• Official statement from Boston mayoral candidate Marty Walsh
• January 2013 letter from Everett city councilor