Staff Writer

 The bill that would allow racinos in Biddeford and Washington County moved one step closer to passage last week.

The House on June 10 voted 86-49 to pass LD 1203, an act that would allow a combination harness racing track and slot machine facility in Biddeford and a tribal racino run by the Passamaquoddy Tribe in Washington County.

The Senate could vote this week to enact the bill.

The Senate passed the measure in two votes last week. The first vote was 17-16 and the margin widened for a second vote of 21-12. If it is not enacted or is vetoed, the citizen initiative will be placed on the November ballot.

Supporters of the bill say the racinos will provide much-needed jobs and support the harness racing and agricultural industries. Opponents say the issue should go to statewide referendum because voters should have the final word on any expansion of gambling in the state.

Adrienne Bennett, spokesman for Gov. Paul LePage, said he is likely to veto the bill if it ends up on his desk.

“He doesn’t gamble, but this is an issue he feels should be brought to the people,” Bennett said.

The Biddeford Downs Racino project is proposed by Scarborough Downs Owner Sharon Terry and developer Ocean Properties. The project, approved by Biddeford voters in November, would move Scarborough Downs to the city and create a racino and hotel complex on Andrews Road.

The $120 million project would create 800 construction jobs, 500 full-time jobs and provide tax money for the city and state, according to project developers.

The project cannot move forward without change to a state law enacted after voters in 2003 approved racinos near existing harness racing tracks. Scarborough Downs was unable to get local approval for a racino before the deadline. 

Sen. Nancy Sullivan, a Democrat from Biddeford, voted in support of the bill. She spoke publicly about her decision to support the plan for the first time this week. Though she had concerns about the way the Biddeford City Council voted to put the racino project on the local ballot, Sullivan said the wide margin of support prompted her to spend more time discussing the issue with constituents.

Sullivan said she talked about the project with “everyday residents” throughout the city and “it was unanimous that we need jobs.”

“I very quietly made the trip around Biddeford and it became very obvious that Biddeford people did know what they were doing when they voted for the racino,” she said.

“I felt I am the voice of the people. It was not my voice only that needed to be heard.” 

Sullivan said she also did research on Ocean Properties, which is run by the Walsh family. She said the firm has a long-standing record of developing “beautiful” properties in Maine and other states.

“I found that Tom Walsh and Ocean Properties have the capital and will not leave us in the lurch,” she said. “It’s going to be a first-class hotel and a first-class race track.”

Rep. Linda Valentino (D-Saco) serves on the Legislature’s Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee, which in April heard five hours of testimony on two bills related to gambling facilities in Maine. The committee recommended the Legislature send the issue to voters as it has with past gambling proposals.

Valentino said she was “extremely disappointed” when the House voted to support the bill.

“I think this is a huge disservice to the people of Maine,” she said. “I’m outraged we would do a major expansion of gambling without asking the voters.”

Valentino said the political pressure related to gambling bills was “unrelenting.” Sullivan said the lobbying “was as bad as I’ve ever seen it.”

“This time I found it different. It was more in your face,” Sullivan said.

Crystal Canney, spokesman for the Biddeford Downs project, said people from the harness racing and agricultural industries went to Augusta to make sure their voices were heard on an issue they feel very strongly about. She said she didn’t think legislators were faced with an unusual amount of political pressure.

“I think there are a lot of passionate people who don’t want to lose their jobs in agriculture and harness racing,” she said.

Canney said legislators seem to understand why people support the project.

“We feel they’ve really heard the calls for jobs,” she said.

Though LePage has indicated he will likely veto the bill if it is enacted by the Legislature, Canney said she thinks “the door is still open that he may not.”

Chris O’Neil, spokesman for Mainers Against a Rotten Deal, said the narrow Senate votes are a “compelling reason” for sending the measure to voters in November. He said the 17-16 vote “shows that the Senate is just as divided as the voters. In the absence of a mandate, the people need to decide this.”