Looking at Politics

By Josh Resnek

At the end of summer now comes the revving up of everyone’s political machinery – at least among those who are serious candidates.

The citywide sign war going on is unabated, with clusters of political signage literally everywhere – and more going up from week to week.

The Lattanzi-McLaughlin race in Ward 6, which really isn’t a Ward 6 race because all councilors are now voted for citywide, is likely the political highlight of the municipal vote coming up.

Both candidates are extremely aggressive.

From the very beginning, this has been dubbed a fight to the finish.

There is little doubt it will be exactly that.

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The MBLC Welcomes Commissioner Stacy DeBole

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The MBLC Welcomes Commissioner Stacy Boyle. 

Special to the Leader Herald

The Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC) is pleased to welcome Stacy DeBole of Swampscott, who has been appointed by Governor Charles D. Baker to serve on the nine-member board.

“I am excited to serve as a Commissioner to continue my work with libraries statewide” said Mrs. DeBole. “Having worked directly with the board as a public library director, I know the challenges facing libraries and the great work that is done by the MBLC and I am excited to get started.”

Commissioner DeBole has had an extensive library career that spans public, academic and special libraries, including the Suffolk University Library, the New England School of Law Library, and the Salem State University Library. Most recently she was director of the Everett Public Library where she actively participated in grant opportunities offered by the MBLC, including Library Services and Technology Act grants for Teens and Tweens and Preservation, and State Aid to Public Libraries grants. She called these grants “game changers for the community.”

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Encore End of Summer Giveaway Rocks

By Josh Resnek

As the summer cascades to its inevitable finale – Labor Day – Encore Boston Harbor has revved up its promotional program.

During this last week of summer, ending on the 29th, if you play the slots at Encore you earn entries into the Labor Day of Luxury Giveaway with a drawing on September 1 for a McLaren sports car or $100,000.

In addition, there will be 150 other lucky winners of up to $2500 of free credit.

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Casino Earnings are Big but They Need to Rise

By Josh Resnek

Last week’s release of the casino earnings report by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission revealed huge earnings by Encore Boston Harbor that dwarfed the other two casinos operating in Massachusetts.

It also revealed that the state got its cut from Encore’s take that amounted to slightly over $12 million for the month of July.

That figure was right on the mark for the state which had projected almost exactly that amount of tax revenue for the month.

However, Encore’s earnings projections were not met.

With the total take at $48 million, that’s about $600 million annualized for the gaming colossus.

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Amended Complaint Success Could Ensnare Mayor, Others

By Josh Resnek

At a time when the mayor is still busy toasting himself for helping to bring the casino here, the court process questioning how he did it has not stopped.

In fact, lawyers for both sides – Wynn and Suffolk Downs – are awaiting the outcome of Sterling Suffolk’s amended complaint, which among others, alleges the mayor took a kickback to facilitate the sale of the Everett land to Wynn Corporation.

The amended complaint is part of a Federal Civil Rico suit filed by Sterling Suffolk many months back before the summer began.

That amended complaint has been before Judge Patti Saris awaiting her decision to either allow the Sterling Suffolk amended complaint to move forward, or to be dismissed.

If she allows the amended complaint to move forward, it is a major headache for the mayor and several of those who were close to him at the time.

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