BIDDEFORD — Biddeford racino proponents won a narrow victory in the Maine Senate on Thursday.
The senate voted 17-16 to support LD 1203, a bill that would allow a racino ”“ a combined harness race track and slot machine facility ”“ in Biddeford and a tribal racino in Washington County. In a second vote, the senate approved the measure by an even greater margin, 21-12.
Earlier this week, the Maine House of Representatives approved LD 1203 by a vote of 94-49.
“I’m very, very happy,” said Mayor Joanne Twomey after learning about the vote. Twomey has been a staunch supporter of bringing a racino to Biddeford.
In order to keep the racino moving forward, Twomey said she plans to run for mayor again this year.
“I want to deliver this baby,” she said. “You want somebody in there who wants this done, not somebody who spoke against it and won’t see it through.”
State Rep. Alan Casavant, D-Biddeford, who has discussed running for mayor of Biddeford in November, spoke against and voted against LD 1203.
Twomey has said she favors the racino because she believes it will bring well-paying jobs to Biddeford residents and needed revenue to the city’s coffers.
The bill will create 800 construction jobs in Biddeford and 500 full-time jobs with $35,000 in wages and benefits, according to information from Ocean Properties and Scarborough Downs, the developers of the proposed Biddeford racino. Similar jobs numbers are expected in Washington County, but numbers have not been confirmed.
The developers also said the State of Maine general fund will receive more than $50 million over a two-year period.
These figures have not been confirmed by outside sources.
Despite these votes, state approval of the Biddeford racino is not a done deal.
The bill must go back to the house and then back to the senate for enactment. Those votes could take place today, said Crystal Canney, a spokeswoman for the developers.
If the legislature enacts the bill, it needs the approval of Gov. Paul LePage to move forward. The governor has told reporters he plans to veto the measure to allow residents throughout the state to vote on the measure in November.
Twomey said she hopes LePage will sign LD 1203.
“He really needs to think about this,” said Twomey. “If the governor said he’s about jobs, here’s an opportunity for private industry to bring in jobs.”
Without the governor’s signature, it would take a two-thirds majority vote of the legislature to override his veto.
If the measure doesn’t pass the legislature, there is still one more bite at the apple. The bill would be placed as a referendum question on the November ballot.
But if the legislature and governor approve LD 1203, Twomey said she will move swiftly to create a negotiating team and begin the process of getting the necessary state and local regulatory approvals.
— Staff Writer Dina Mendros can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 324 dmendros@journaltribune.com.
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