Really think about it

In response to Richard Tozier’s suggestion to check it out (BDN op-ed, Oct. 15), I did. Here is what I’ve found.

The Bangor racino proposal by Shawn Scott’s Capital Seven is about jobs. The group claims 314 jobs with a payroll of $5.3 million. That is an average of $16,878 per job. That is below the federal poverty level of $18,100 for a family of four.

The Sanford casino proposed by Las Vegas developer Marnell Carrao Associates (MCA) and attorney Tom Tureen emphasizes jobs, income for the state, and benefits for the Maine Indian tribes.

Sanford casino supporters say it will generate 10,000 jobs. The actual casino will employ 4,740 according to casino information available at job fairs. The payroll at the casino will be $124 million, or an average of $26,260 per job. According to the National Priorities Organization, the living wage for a family of three in that part of the state was $33,021 in the year 2001.

Casino advocates say the state will receive $100 million a year for education and property tax relief. However, there is no guarantee of that dollar amount like there is in Connecticut. Maine is only guaranteed 25 percent of the slot machine revenue.

In 1990, MCA built, owned and operated the Rio Hotel in Las Vegas. In 1999, Harrahs bought the Rio from MCA. The last year MCA owned the casino, slot machine revenue was $84 million with 2,431 slot machines. For Maine to recognize $100 million from the Sanford casino, slot machine revenues need to be $400 million. Based on MCA’s past operational experience, that means the Sanford casino would need to operate 11,570 slot machines. Foxwoods had 6,678 slot machines as of this past summer.

The state will receive approximately $50 million from the casino annually for education. The Portland school district currently spends $70 million. There are 283 school districts in Maine.

In 1998, Anthony Marnell, chief executive officer of MCA, was against California’s Proposition 5. The proposition supported Indian gaming. Two subsidiaries controlled by Marnell, Austi International and Rio Hotel, each gave $250,000 to oppose Indian gaming in California. Proposition 5 passed by a 2 to 1 margin.

Capital Seven LLC principal Scott forfeited his gaming license to the Nevada Gaming Board in 1997. There were improprieties and accounting discrepancies in his casino, The Cheyenne, in Las Vegas.

Tureen is an investor of the Sanford casino with MCA. He was also the attorney who brokered the Indian Land Claims Settlement Act of 1980 for the Passamaquoddy and Penobscot Indian tribes. The amount of the settlement was $81 million. Tureen assisted the tribes with many trust funds and investments.

In a recent Bangor Daily News article, Tribal Leader Barry Dana said the average check from the settlement trust is $63 every three months, or almost $5 a week. In April, Tureen sold his house in Falmouth Foreside. The asking price was $7.5 million.

Maybe these are the things the ads mean when they say, “Think about it.”

Wesley E. Leighton Jr. lives in Veazie.