Mayor disparages committee
Date: 10/17/2012
By Carley Dangona
carley@thereminder.comWEST SPRINGFIELD — Mayor Gregory Neffinger criticized the newly formed Town Council Casino Mitigation Committee (TCCMC) on Oct. 9.
"A committee tends to be sitting in a room, calling people in to give them secondhand feedback," Neffinger said. "If they [the Town Council] are really interested, they should do their own research."
The mayor believes the impacts of a Springfield casino could be both positive and negative. Benefits to West Springfield include employment opportunities, an increase in the housing market if casino workers seek residence in West Springfield, and business partnerships between local businesses and the facility.
Some possible negative impacts of the casino are increased traffic, a need for better public safety and more incidents for the police and fire departments to handle.
"While I am for a sub-committee discussion, [I believe] if you want to know what's going on, it's best to get it straight from the horse's mouth. The councilors could attend the meetings and seminars [presented by the city of Springfield and gather the information firsthand]," Neffinger added.
The TCCMC was created Oct. 1 to assess how a Springfield casino could affect West Springfield.
