The Casino Issue

Casino PAC in black

By Rebekah Metzler , Staff Writer
Saturday, July 26, 2008

MaineCasinoNow Spending, By the Numbers

Price Item Purchased From ...

$10.90 Lye for making biodiesel Farmington Farmer's Union

$257.99 100 pounds of popcorn, butter, bags North Center Food Service in Augusta

$306.00 Ugolini cold drink dispenser eBay

$25.64 Cups for fairs Reed Party Store in Auburn

$30.00 Two custom fair workers' shirts Little Shop of Ours in Winthrop
Casino PAC in black


LEWISTON - A group promoting a casino initiative in western Maine is in the black, with about $16,000 in its coffers, according to the state ethics commission.

Previous filings showed the political action committee, MaineCasinoNow, was running a more than $100,000 deficit, but amended filings show the PAC is solvent.

The conflicting records were the result of inaccurate filings by Rumford lawyer Seth Carey, who formed the PAC and is leading the casino effort, ethics officials said.

Carey met with the Maine Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices to sort out the situation, said Jeremy Brown, the state's PAC registrar.

Brown said the clerical problem arose from Carey using the same bank account for his PAC and his company, Evergreen Mountain Enterprises, LLC. The commission wanted more transparency in the filings and has allowed Carey to amend previous filings. Because of Carey's willingness to work with the state in rectifying his reports, disciplinary action against his PAC is not anticipated, Brown said.

"It just wasn't exactly the best way to do it," Brown said of Carey's accounting methods.

Carey confirmed his group is in the black.

State law requires itemized public records of all contributions and expenses of more than $1,500 on behalf of initiating, promoting or influencing ballot questions. Carey had made regular filings of his MaineCasinoNow PAC, but had listed contributions of nearly $18,000 to the PAC from his company, Evergreen Mountain Enterprises. It turned out the contribution was from Carey himself.

The filing update was not complete, Brown said. Some of the new records reveal several outstanding loans that are keeping the PAC afloat.

Paul Thornton of Long Island, Maine, loaned $100,000 to the PAC last fall and Ryan Boudreau of Saco loaned the group $5,000 last June, in addition to loans from Carey and his father, lawyer Tom Carey of Rumford. Seth Carey also listed a $14,000 personal loan from Bank of America.

But the group isn't only gathering money; it's spending it. Carey is stocked and ready for his tour of Maine fairs later this summer, according to the most recent filing, covering financial activity from May 28 to July 15. It shows the PAC has purchased an old U-Haul truck and the supplies needed to modify its engine to run on biofuel. The PAC also purchased popcorn, a frozen drink machine, a Sirius satellite radio and thousands of bumper stickers, pens and fliers.

On Nov. 4, voters statewide will have the chance to vote on legislation drafted by Carey that would create a privately run casino in Oxford County. As written, the initiative would give 39 percent of the casino's profits to the state, earmarked to specific programs including health care, student loan repayment and an east-west highway.

The bill includes several other provisions, including lowering the state gambling age from 21 to 19, placing a 10-year moratorium on building other casinos in Maine and granting the casino's president a seat on all of the boards of state agencies and programs that benefit from it financially. Some of those agencies include the University of Maine System, the Finance Authority of Maine and the Land for Maine's Future Fund.

Link to SJ article

Anyone have any background information on Paul Thornton and Ryan Boudreau?

Boudreau is a friend of Seth's from high school. He works as a manager for a cellular company.

The only Paul Thornton I come up with in Maine was a racehorse trainer.

Paul Thornton won the Gerry Sullivan Trainer Award,

Suffolk’s ten-race opening day card on May 5 drew 90 horses and offered
$149,200 in purses, including the $25,000 William Almy Jr. Purse won by
Lawrence P. Higgins’ Blond River Fox, who is trained by Paul Thornton.

source

I think his son is TD Thornton who in the below book mentions how casinos have effected horse racing.
TD Thornton
source- page 18

All I get on Mr. Boudreau is this.


and this

C wrote:All I get on Mr. Boudreau is this.

Sometimes that's all there is. Not everyone is a part of the "great conspiracy". Oh, and before you learn it elsewhere, he is my cousin, but we only see each other at weddings & funerals.

Also, those might be two different Ryan Boudreaus. There are three other women who share my name, one of whom also shares my middle initial. The first woman lives two streets over from a former residence of mine, and I keep running into people who mistakenly think her shenanigans--and there are plenty--are mine. The second one is infamous in another state for stealing prescription meds from her workplace, which just happens to be the same chain where I once worked. I found out about this when a potential employer Googled my name. (I did get the job, though.)

The third woman shares my middle initial, my age, my college major, and my vocation. She and I continuously get phone calls and emails meant for the other person: we've struck up sort of a friendship based on that and mutual horror stories regarding our "evil" name-twins.

I guess that's a long story to make a short point; let's blame it on too much caffeine.

P.S. -- If they are the same person, it doesn't necessarily mean he's not an intelligent, ethical business person.

True, they could be different people living in the same area. That is the only information I could find that I felt could potentially be related. I found him to be age 33 and having lived in Rumford, Saco, Standish and Dover, NH along with his father and grandparents names and ages. $5000 is a small contribution compared to the $100,000 that Thornton contributed. I wonder where SJ got that information as I missed in on the PAC's, most of the large contributions are listed under Seth's name, probably to protect the anonymity of the investors.

Kevin, I don't think the inquiry about the contributions is indicative that folks are looking for a conspiracy. I think alot of people are concerned/wondering who is behind the referendum. According to the language we'll be voting on I don't think Seth Carey would be eligible for the license - so who will be the licensee? Who will we be granting voting priviledges on the different boards such as UM? I for one find these questions legitimate and want to know who is bankrolling the effort to pass the legislation and who will be bankrolling the casino itself.

http://www.sunjournal.com/story/275989-3/Columnist/Newspaper_should_help_not_harm_business/

Mr. Carey's op-ed in the Sun-Journal this weekend was a farce. He complains about the "speculative" tendencies of the Lewiston Sun-Journal. Why is that? They speculate because he and/or his organization have not shared ANY details regarding the bill to be voted on in the Fall. What does he expect? He surely doesn't mind the publicity they gave him when he was attempting to gather signatures. You can't have it both ways.

Vote NO on the casino. We don't know where it will be, who will be behind it, and a thousand other details. Take a hike.

thanks Dave, I missed the Sunday paper this weekend and didn't read the piece.
I think Mr. Carey was taking advantage of free advertising.
His statement: "In the interest of correcting inaccuracies and salacious speculation that has mounted over the months, Evergreen Mountain Enterprises will "take the bait" this time, at least a little bit" was a falacy. Other than to say he was in negotiations he didn't correct any inaccuracies or speculation.
Mr. Carey, if you want my vote, enough with the environmental nonsense and start talking about the details of the referendum.

WHAT THE OXFORD COUNTY CASINO PROMOTERS
DON’T WANT YOU TO KNOW

There’s a lot that the backers of the Oxford County casino aren’t telling the people of Maine about their proposal.

They love to talk about the (supposed) jobs and taxes it will bring, but ignore other important facts buried in the lengthy legislation that we’ll be voting on in November, such as:

The Oxford County casino proposal would lower the legal age for gambling from 21 to 19. It would also lower the legal age to work in a casino from 21 to 18. So at a place that features slot machines, card games, roulette, craps and cocktails, we would have teenagers under the legal drinking age gambling and dealing cards. (I guess they’re not concerned with the fact that teen gambling is one of the fastest growing addictions in the country.)

The Oxford County casino proposal would allow the casino to give credit to gamblers, currently prohibited under Maine law. So when a player has run out of cash, depleted his bank account and reached his limit on his credit card, he can still get credit from the casino owner. More evidence that the house always wins. (And if you don’t think that getting gamblers into debt is part of a casino’s business strategy, click here.)

In their proposal, the owners of the Oxford County casino have written themselves a 10-year monopoly on casinos. If it passes, no other casino could be built in Maine, and no existing casino (Hollywood Slots) could have table games. If you’re against the spread of casinos, you might think that’s a good thing. On the other hand, the casino promoters often claim that casinos are great for economic development. If true, why should they be the only ones to operate one? If the Oxford County casino is built in Bethel, Rumford – and every other town in Maine – will be denied this wonderful “economic development” opportunity. Seems like the owners want to make sure their wallets are fattened and no one else’s.

Under current law, in order to get a license to operate a casino an applicant must have “sufficient knowledge and experience” operating slot machines and table games. Since none of those associated with the proposed Oxford County casino have experience in the casino business, they’ve amended the law to allow them to be licensed as long as they “form a partnership with persons or entities” who have casino experience. In other words, the owners and backers of the Oxford County casino can’t possibly be licensed unless they have an experienced partner, and they know this. But who is that partner? Why aren’t they disclosing the partner’s identity? Will voters know who the true operators of the casino will be before they go to the polls in November?

These are just some of the hidden facts surrounding the proposed Oxford County casino. Buyer beware, or rather voter beware. There’s more to this latest casino proposal than its backers are willing to tell you.

For more information – and to donate to the campaign against the Oxford County casino – go to www.casinosno.org


Dennis Bailey
CasinosNO!

Dennis,
The casino proponents have been forthcoming with most of this information, so your accusations are incorrect. You seem to have some sort of religious or spiritual aversion to gambling, so most I know consider you a religious extremist trying to shove your conservative views down our throats. If you put half as much energy into being "for" something rather than "against" perhaps our economy would benefit and we wouldn't have to resort (pun intended) to casinos and other "sinful" moneymakers.

As I have implied on another thread, the people of Oxford County and, specifically, the River Valley should take great heed to the actions of New Page Corp. The company is looking for ways to improve its profit margin, and as the folks in Kimberly, Wisconsin will attest, New Page will go to any extreme to ensure that profitability. If Rumford thinks that they are immune to these tactics, they really need to wake up and smell the pulpwood. To place all of your eggs in the New Page basket is asking for disaster. Again, I'm not saying that a casino is the answer, but there does not appear to be a mad rush by other industries to relocate to the River Valley.

As for Dennis Bailey, he seems to have forgotten his childhood in Livermore Falls where everything revolved around International Paper. He has forgotten that many of the residents of the surrounding areas worked in the timber industry providing pulp wood for IP and hardwood for the turning mills. Now, most of the turning mills are gone - victims of predatory pricing by the Chinese - and the paper mills are slowly going in the same direction. When Joe Logger no longer has a buyer for his logs, he faces the prospect of moving away, finding other suitable employment (where???) or going on the public dole. If New Page shuts down its Rumford mill and there is no other employer to fill the gap, not only will there be an exodus of people from the area, but the ones who remain will be like Joe Logger. And to compound the problem, retailers like Wal-Mart and Mardens will surely close their doors because there will be insufficient business to maintain their operations. Then, you will have the people who stay in the area having to drive to Lewiston/Auburn or Farmington for goods they previously found locally. That means more money for gasoline from already tight budgets. You only need to look across the state line to Berlin, NH for examples of this.
And what of Mr. Bailey's campaign against gambling? The following is from the Portland Phoenix:
"Bailey admitted Savvy does work for Garmey’s firm, but insisted his opposition to the Scarborough Downs plan and the more recent proposal by the Penobscot and Passamaquoddy tribes to build a casino in Southern Maine is based on his fundamental beliefs.
'Call it quaint,' he wrote in an email, 'but I’m still of the mind that governments should take care of people, or at least help secure their health and safety. When governments get in bed with casino operators (or lottery operators), they play the public for suckers. It’s an abdication of what government is supposed to provide.'
Nevertheless, Bailey said he’s not a prude. In fact, he enjoys gambling in Las Vegas. He said he just doesn’t want anything like that close to where he lives."

Sounds a touch hypocritical, doesn't it? And doesn't he live in the Portland area? Portland - which is so far removed socially, economically and politically from Oxford County as to be more similar to Boston, Massachusetts than Rumford, Maine.

I have stated previously that my interest in this is strictly sentimental since I no longer live in the River Valley. But I would be greatly saddened to see my hometown become a ghost town. Maybe a casino is not the answer, but there aren't any others on the horizon. Failure to succeed is justifiable; failure to act is not.

It's kind of reverse discrimination if we can't have a casino because we aren't Indian. I think Mr. Carey has worded the casino referendum in such a way that it won't pass. Why do you suppose he added things like lowering the gambling age when they could jeopardize the whole concept?

The appearance of Mr. Bailey's comments on this discussion opens the question regarding how many other paid politickers there are posting against the proposal. It is my understanding that Mr. Bailey's efforts are supported in part by out of state casinos who don't want competition. Let's not be fooled by his lobbyist tactics.

C wrote:It's kind of reverse discrimination if we can't have a casino because we aren't Indian. I think Mr. Carey has worded the casino referendum in such a way that it won't pass. Why do you suppose he added things like lowering the gambling age when they could jeopardize the whole concept?

C: I don't have a problem with lowering the gambling age: if a young adult is old enough to be drafted to fight and die for his/her country (yeah, that's still a possibility in times of war), he or she should be old enough to gamble, drink alcohol and participate in any other activity reserved for 21-year old adults. That being said, I DO believe that his proposal for a 10 year moratorium on any other new casino opening in Maine is a little too restrictive. I'm sure that Evergreen is thinking that with the moratorium, they are assured of recovering their investment. But I don't believe that is the way to do it. They could propose a geographic restriction such as: no other casino may be constructed or opened within a 50-mile radius of Evergreen's location. There is currently a proposal being generated by Scarborough Downs to allow slot machines there as part of a larger development that features stores, restaurants and consumer services. Already there are those that are saying, "Forget having just slots; let's have a full-blown casino there." As it is presently worded, Seth's referendum will alienate the southern Maine voters who favor Scarborough Downs' proposal thereby ensuring failure of his referendum. As the law stands now, all that Scarborough Downs must do to allow slots is to obtain a favorable vote from surrounding towns - not the entire state. If Seth modifies his language, he could probably solicit agreement and assistance from SD's management and PR people. Of course, all of this is contingent upon the majority of River Valley and Oxford County voters being in favor of a casino. The folks our east in the Bangor area would probably support a revised referendum as well, since they could then expand from just slots to a full casino. Just something to consider.

KevinNSaisi wrote:The appearance of Mr. Bailey's comments on this discussion opens the question regarding how many other paid politickers there are posting against the proposal. It is my understanding that Mr. Bailey's efforts are supported in part by out of state casinos who don't want competition. Let's not be fooled by his lobbyist tactics.

Kevin,

I would not be at all surprised if the casinos in Connecticut are somehow working against a casino in Maine. A fair number of Mainers travel to Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun on a regular basis. And Dennis Bailey has demonstrated that he is loyal to whoever is paying his bills - regardless of their political affiliation, reputation, or motivation. A little more to consider.

KevinNSaisi wrote:Dennis,
The casino proponents have been forthcoming with most of this information, so your accusations are incorrect. You seem to have some sort of religious or spiritual aversion to gambling, so most I know consider you a religious extremist trying to shove your conservative views down our throats. If you put half as much energy into being "for" something rather than "against" perhaps our economy would benefit and we wouldn't have to resort (pun intended) to casinos and other "sinful" moneymakers.

Are you kidding me? Forthcoming? Mr. Carey and others have shared NOTHING.

- WHO is funding this?
- WHO will run it?
- WHERE will it be built?

And no, I'm not paid to write this comment. And I live in Maine, not too far from Rumford.

I will, however, work with others to help defeat this ill-advised proposal. It's not Economic Development. It's gambling. People will lose more than they win. Period.

Those questions were not addressed in Mr Bailey's comments. If you read carefully, you will see that my response was in relation to what he had said, not the items you have addressed. I agree that they have not answered the questions you pose, but I also believe that they would not be as much of an issue if it weren't for the lobbyists making a big deal about it. When any other business is brought to town, the information about who, what and where are not disclosed ahead of time to the public. Why are the rules different for this resort? Every business needs to go through a permitting process, theirs just involves a higher level of government.

If this should pass it sounds like the president of EME will have a full time job just being a member to all these boards...


The president of EvergreenMountain Enterprises,
LLC must be appointed a voting member on the governing body or board, if any,
of each recipient or program funded in this subsection regarding the allocation
of specific funding that is paid by the gaming operator.
1. Five percent of the total gross
gaming device income must be distributed to repay student loans of residents of
this State;
2. Four percent of the total gross
gaming device income must be distributed to the research and development of an
east-west highway in the State;
3. Three percent of the total
gross gaming device income must be distributed to develop and construct a
facility to produce biofuels, including fuel for heating homes;
4. Three percent of the total
gross gaming device income must be distributed to make health care more affordable
for employees of businesses and the self-employed in this State. This endeavor
must include expanding membership in the Dirigo Health Program and allowing
such health care to be offered as a self-insured product;
5. Two percent of the total gross
gaming device income must be distributed for revenue sharing with
municipalities, with the intent of providing local property tax relief;
6. Two percent of the total gross
gaming device income must be distributed to a Maine prepaid college plan to
allow residents of this State to prepay the cost of college tuition, fees and
dormitory housing before a child goes to college;
7. Two percent of the total gross
gaming device income must be used to assist the elderly with the cost of
prescription drugs;
8. Two percent of the total gross
gaming device income must be used for the improvement of secondary rural roads
in the State;
9. Two percent of the total gross
gaming device income must be distributed for the expansion of facilities and
course selection in the Maine Community College System;
10. One percent of the total gross
gaming device income must be distributed for the program cost portion of
general purpose aid for local schools;
11. One percent of the total gross
gaming device income must be distributed to Maine’s
Renewable Resource Fund for the development of new renewable sources of energy;
12. One percent of the total gross
gaming device income must be distributed to the Finance Authority of Maine for
its NextGen First Step Grant program to assist residents of this State in
saving for college tuition;
13. One percent of the total gross
gaming device income must be distributed to towns to be used for
regionalization efforts of towns that express interest in reducing and
eliminating duplicative municipal services;
14. One percent of the total gross
gaming device income must be distributed to help fund raising the minimum wage
to a level comparable with a "livable wage" for the resident workers
in this State of $7.70 per hour in 2008 and $8.40 in 2009 and in accordance
with the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers,
CPI-W index, thereafter. If the Legislature refuses to accept these funds for
this purpose, these funds must go to funding affordable health care and Dirigo
Health;
15. One percent of the total gross
gaming device income must be distributed for grants to residents of this State
who demonstrate energy efficiency and conservation proficiency, such as rebates
for purchasers of hybrid and biodiesel-capable vehicles, for those who convert
vehicles into biodiesel-capable vehicles and for users of biofuel for home and
business heating, and grants for residents of this State to develop such clean
and efficient fuel technologies;
16. One percent of the total gross
gaming device income must be distributed for the improvement of the water
quality of the rivers of this State and the technology to allow paper mills and
waste treatment plants to eliminate the toxins they release into rivers;
17. One percent of the total gross
gaming device income must be distributed to the Land for Maine’s Future Fund
established in the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 5, section 6203 to secure the
traditional heritage of this State of public access to the land and water
resources of this State and to secure the continued quality and availability of
natural resources important to the interests and continued heritage of the
people of the State;
18. One percent of the total gross
gaming device income must be distributed to public access television stations
in this State for the improvement of technology and programming
19. One percent of the total gross
gaming device income must be distributed for funding residents of this State
who are 15 years of age to 30 years of age to support ideas and projects that
will stimulate the creative economy in this State, enhance technology, improve
civic engagement or otherwise effect positive community change;
20. One percent of the total gross
gaming device income must be distributed for programs to protect gaming patrons
against the risks of gambling, including gambling addiction counseling services
and monitoring patrons who may be at risk and have a propensity for problem
gambling;
21. Two percent of the total gross
gaming device income must be forwarded directly to any municipality in which
the gaming facility is located; and
22. One percent of the total gross
gaming device income must be forwarded directly to Oxford County to pay for mitigation of costs resulting from gaming
operations.

... and the legislature will likely remove that requirement if the initiative passes, so what's your point? All of the terms of the initiative are subject to review and modification by the state. You can go on until the cows come home, but the fact is that we need to pass this initiative and rely upon our state leadership to fix the language afterwards.

No way. I'm not voting on anything and counting on the state leadership to fix the language. I'm voting on the language AS IS. I'm voting NO.

Dave wrote:No way. I'm not voting on anything and counting on the state leadership to fix the language. I'm voting on the language AS IS. I'm voting NO.

And when the New Page goose that lays golden eggs is slaughtered by the corporate beancounters, and there's no other industry in the area to absorb the out-of-work mill employees, you can be secure in the knowledge that you helped to drive those workers to other parts of the state/nation or onto the unemployment rolls where they can enjoy the Maine Experience: the way life ought to be. Good job!!

How exactly will the referendum be worded? Will it simply say "Do you favor a casino in Oxford County?" If it does, I would presume that the specifics would be sorted out by state leadership. I'm for a casino in River Valley but unless the referendum states the location as such, I will be tempted to vote NO, as I believe one located outside our area would be detrimental to our economy. I would think lowering the gambling age should go under a separate referendum as they are really separate issues.