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The Middleboro Board of Selectman at the
Monday, July 2, 2007 meeting. Left to right: Adam Bond explaining the need
to move quickly, Wayne Perkins giving his speech,
Marsha Brunelle chairing the meeting, Steve Spataro urging community input
and Pat Rogers making a case for moving with diliberation.
 7/3/07
The Board of Selectmen met last night to a nearly full room of
enthusiastic vocal supporters and silent members of the anti-casino group, as
they voted to proceed with plans, pending approval from Jim Thomas, Town
Moderator, to hold a vote on a yet to be drawn in final form agreement
between Middleboro and the Mashpee Wampanoag. It is being assumed that the
Selectmen will endorse whatever agreement is ultimately be negotiated
between the lawyers for each side.
 They
will meet with Mr. Thomas (far right) on Thursday to discuss the nuts and bolts
of the Town Meeting. The warrant for the Town Meeting will have to be
ready to submit for publication in the Middleboro Gazette on July 10th.
 The
hope is for the meeting to be held on Saturday, July 28. Originally there
was one item to be put up for a vote, but Richard Young (right) stood to
ask whether other items could be added if there were 200 signatures to do
so. He was told that this was the case. He did not elaborate as to what
other items he though should be put up for a vote.
 The
meeting was notable for a prepared speech by Selectman Wayne Perkins in
which he went over the many factors he considered before concluding that a
resort casino was the best op tion
for Middleboro's future. His final words were meet with a long round of
applause from the casino supporters in the room, who outnumbered the
anti-casino group by at least four to one. The anti-casino group was
respectfully silent with the exception member of their group who raised her
hand in a thumbs down gesture (see picture on left), and
booed on another occasion, the anti-casino group sat
respectfully with their hands down during the applause.
  After
the meeting the pro-casino group went outside and congregated informally.
Prior to the meeting fifty or sixty of them gathered outside Town Hall to
show support for the casino.
 Some
of anti-casino group remained in the hallway where Jacquie Tolosko (left
in picture on right) president of the anti-casino group CasinoFacts.org, was
interviewed by Christine Wallgren of Boston Globe South. I wasn't able to
find any members of a pro-casino citizen group that Ms. Wallgren
interviewed.
Others went upstairs to attend
the meeting of the casino study committee
 where
a number of them asked questions.
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