Could the war of words between Steve Wynn and Boston Mayor Martin “McCheese” Walsh soon be coming to an end? Wynn, who last month declared himself finished with an “obviously 
irresponsible” Walsh, had a phone chat with McCheese to discuss traffic mitigation in Sullivan Square, primary access point to Wynn Everett (where site-prep work has begun). And the mayor has received emissaries from Wynn Resorts. This is quite a change from Walsh’s usual spew of invective on all things Wynn, as he said in re Sullivan Square, “It’s a common problem that the Wynn folks have and that the people of Boston have.”
Or, as Boston Globe columnist Adrian Walker puts it, “In plain English, Walsh backed the wrong horse [Suffolk Downs], and is now crying foul.” Moreover, his lawsuit is going south, as Judge Janet Sanders speculates in open court over whether she should overturn a seemingly settled Massachusetts Gaming Commission decision. She’s already slapped the Walsh administration’s wrist for employing the litigation as propaganda fodder. Walsh has also been harshly rebuked by U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz, who said he “spewed and spun” gossip as gospel truth.
The debris trail of leaks and insinuations made by the Walsh camp has also failed to lead it to the promised land. Walsh’s claim that he 
was offered at least $100 million by Wynn has also been hotly denied by the casino mogul. As for Wynn, he says there is “zero chance” of him abandoning Wynn Everett. Among his messages to McCheese was, “I’m told you want the citizens of Charlestown to vote . . . That will happen over my dead body … We’re tagged with solving traffic problems that have existed for decades.” It speaks strongly to Wynn’s patience that he’s persisted this far. As for Walsh, if the light is finally dawning, it’s not a moment too soon.
* Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno may be willing to go along with MGM Resorts International‘s downsizing of its $800 million Springfield casino, but his city council is saying, “Not so fast.” It is considering whether to add a referendum question to the November ballot, asking Springfield voters if they support the changes. (This would be a good moment for MGM Springfield President Michael Mathis to soften his ‘like it or lump it’ stance.) Council President Michael Fenton said he and his colleagues would not be bound by the vote but would be guided by it. In addition to the council’s approval, MGM also needs that of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, which is probably still reeling in shock from the sudden makeover.
“You don’t just take the wow factor out of this project, the largest development in the history of Western New England, and eliminate it without just cause … I can tell you that the proposal to remove the 25-story tower from this development is a bad one for the city of 
Springfield. It represents a cost-saving measure as MGM has said themselves and it is less than the bill of goods that we bargained for in our host-community agreement. I find it unacceptable quite frankly,” said Fenton. Mathis (left) has blamed the redesign on “skyrocketing” costs, which calls into question both the competency of the management team and whether MGM drove sufficiently hard bargains when subcontracting the project. It looks from here like local contractors saw MGM as a mark and took it to the cleaners.
* One Connecticut city is getting a leg up in its pursuit of that new, third casino license, a joint venture between Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods Resort Casino. Not only has East Hartford found a site — an abandoned cineplex — it’s rezoned it for gambling. The project is the work of Silver Lane Partners and is budgeted at anywhere from $140 million to $300 million. East Hartford doesn’t have it in the bag yet: Enfield has also expressed interest and both towns would have to hold host-community referendums. But the process is moving quickly, running right up MGM Springfield’s back.
* On the home front, MGM’s AEG Arena is being built without public money … and without additional parking. MGM point man Rick Arpin has that matter licked, though: pedicabs. And a mobile app. And some signs on I-15. Yup, problem solved. At least the construction of an access road from Excalibur to the arena provides a (pardon the pun) concrete measure of relief.
Levity aside, far better what MGM is doing than the latest antics from the Las Vegas Convention Visitors Authority, which is plumping for — you guessed it — a publicly funded stadium. Stadium backers told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that “there are at least 20 major annual events Las Vegas could attract” [emphasis added] with a big-ass new stadium. But there’s a long journey between ‘could’ and ‘would,’ and do residents want to pay the hundreds of millions of dollars to find out? Or are we going to hit long-suffering hotel guests with yet more taxes?
