Politics & Government

Milford Voters Reject Casino, by a 2-1 Margin

Voter turnout was 57 percent across Milford.

Milford voters have rejected a resort casino application by a 2-1 margin, with 6,381 opposed and 3,480 in favor, according to official results.

Voters in each of the eight precincts in Milford rejected the $1 billion development proposal put forward by Foxwoods Massachusetts. The community-wide referendum ends the casino bid in Milford, as under state law, voter approval was required for it to advance to state consideration. 

In brief interviews following their voting, some residents on Tuesday said they had concerns about the traffic the resort casino would bring to Milford, its effect on the town's water resources, and generally the image of being a "casino town."

The vote to reject the host community agreement between the town and Foxwoods  came in every precinct, across all neighborhoods.

By precinct, these were the results: Precinct 1, 376 yes to 409 no; Precinct 2, 391 yes to 821 no; Precinct 3, 415 yes to 669 no; Precinct 4, 396 yes to 523 no; Precinct 5, 540 yes to 1217 no; Precinct 6, 475 yes to 780 no; Precinct 7, 434 yes to 988 no; and Precinct 8, 453 yes to 954 no.

The voter turnout was 57 percent, a high turnout, but shy of the presidential election turnout in November 2012, which drew 72 percent of the town's registered voters.

In precincts Tuesday, election workers said they saw several first-time voters, in part because they usually were accompanied by someone who announced that, said Ed Ross, a warden for Precinct 2.

Foxwoods Massachusetts had hoped to develop a nearly 200 acre site at I-495 and Route 16. Its plans included nearly 1 million square-feet of retail, gaming and hotel space, and a package for the town that included a $25 million annual tax payment for the developed property.

The original application was filed in January with the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, and set off a 10-month campaign that ended Tuesday. The project was one of two, possibly three, for the single resort casino license available in the greater Boston region.

The remaining resort casino applications for the Boston region are in Everett, proposed by Wynn Resorts of Las Vegas, and the possibility of a new plan for the Revere portion of the Suffolk Downs property.


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