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EAST GREENWICH -- The West Warwick casino issue would not seem to be something that would typically be the purview of a local school board.
But last night, the East Greenwich School Committee took a stance on the November ballot question regarding the proposed Harrah's Entertainment venture and gave it the thumbs down.
The seven-member board unanimously passed a resolution opposing the casino, [member Marilyn J. Friedemann was absent] because they said they believe a casino would decrease property values, be unfair competition to local businesses, erode the tax base and could lead to youth gambling.
"...Which can lead to adult addiction," said board member Albert Ross IV, who sponsored the resolution.
"It's not good for our children. The mere presence of gambling will entice people. If you put a gambling facility right next to our community, you'll see an increase in gambling, with kids gambling and with families gambling," Ross said, citing several studies and articles on gambling.
West Warwick abuts the northern border of East Greenwich. The Town Council has not taken a position on the casino matter.
On the November ballot voters will be asked if there should be an amendment to the state Constitution to allow the gambling venture.
Citing various studies on the effects of a casino in close proximity, Ross presented an analysis on why a casino would not be good for East Greenwich.
It stated that a casino could actually increase taxes instead of offering tax relief in the long run, because the town would have pay for additional services to offset the increased crime and traffic.
In addition, unlike casinos which use the very money people lose to pay for their restaurants and services, local business would not have a way to recover from their losses, Ross said.
"Our Main Street is not going to compete with this behemoth," Ross said. "If you destroy the tax base, our schools are gone. You will be creating an atomic disaster in East Greenwich."
There was little discussion or debate about the resolution, other than everyone agreeing it was the right thing to do.
"I think that it's great that the School Committee goes on the record about the potential [negative affect] of the casino," said board member Paul Martin.
Supt. Charles E. Meyers added: "I just know what kind of services that we have to provide for the children who come from dysfunctional families," said Meyers. "When a parent suffers from gambling problems, the children suffer."
Resident JoAnne Leach, who attended last night's meeting said that if the school district is taking a position, it should do what they can to let everyone in East Greenwich know about it.
"It they are moving forward with this, they ought to back that up to get people looking at the big picture," Leach said. "I think they have a right. Someone has to take a stand on it. The schools are a huge business in this town and in every town."
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