Foxboro Selectmen last night "delivered a devastating blow" to a plan by Patriots Owner Robert Kraft and Las Vegas developer Steve Wynn to build a gambling complex across from Gillette Stadium, "voting to send a letter to Gov. Deval Patrick and the Massachusetts Gaming Commission saying the town doesn’t want a casino," according to Chris Cassidy of the BOSTON HERALD. The non-binding vote "doesn’t sink the proposed Kraft Wynn resort, but sent a message that the town’s highest board believes Foxboro should be off-limits to casino gambling." Kraft and Wynn could "still proceed with a meeting to lay out their plans for a gaming palace ... and request a townwide vote." The packed house of Foxboro residents, "divided over the proposal for a casino in their town, wrangled over the plan last night." Some worried about crime and "losing the character of their town, while others praised the thousands of jobs promised and urged selectmen to at least hear the sales pitch" (BOSTON HERALD, 12/28). Foxboro Selectman Mark Sullivan said that he "visited Gillette Stadium and asked the Kraft family to withdraw the proposal." He added that the Krafts told him that they "deserved the right to have the proposal fully heard." Town Manager Kevin Paicos said that Wynn could "still come forward with a formal proposal that explains the project, estimates the potential costs to the town -- such as traffic, demands on police, fire and schools, extra work for town inspectors -- and proposes ways for the developer to pay for the costs." In Boston, Mark Arsenault notes Wynn and Kraft could also "still host a community meeting to explain the project and could continue their campaign to build community support in hope that public pressure in favor of the project could reverse the vote on the board" (BOSTON GLOBE, 12/28).
