BREAKING: Major Announcement Made Regarding Enfield Casino Plans

UPDATE, 1:30 p.m.

Enfield Mayor Scott Kaupin told Patch that he spoke this morning with Robert Steiner, of Madison Marquette, who represents Enfield Square shopping mall, and says that the mall will not submit a request for proposal for a possible casino in Enfield.

The deadline had been set at 4 p.m. Friday. This means Enfield will not be getting a casino as of right now.

Despite the change of plan, Sen. John A. Kissel (R-Enfield) expressed disappointment in the proposal submission process.

“This process has me both surprised and disappointed in the tribes,” Kissel said. “It’s as if the deck is stacked against our local decision-makers. How can anyone trust this process if the rules change mid-stream? These plans were shot down at the local level. Why bother having town councils or Planning and Zoning Commissions if their decisions are ignored?”

Initially, Kissel noted, the tribes had required that both the town and the landowner sign off on proposals. But the tribes now are accepting “incomplete” applications. That change could lead to area property owners submitting applications without local leaders’ approval.

“From the very beginning, I was wary of this process,” Kissel said. “It was one of the many reasons why I voted against the casino expansion legislation. These actions bear out that mistrust. So much for home rule. So much for rules at all. This is a sham, it is undemocratic, and frankly, it appears illegal. Taxpayers in north-central Connecticut and throughout the state can see what the tribes are doing.”

Original post: Despite a lack of favorable approval from the governing bodies of Enfield and Windsor Locks, officials of the Enfield Square shopping mall and the Connecticut Airport Authority may still submit requests for proposal by Friday’s deadline in hopes of attracting a satellite casino to their respective town.

Owners of Foxwoods Casino and the Mohegan Sun Casino, both located within sovereign Native American nations, have collaborated to try and place a third casino in north central Connecticut, in response to the development of an MGM casino in nearby Springfield, Mass.

Enfield town councilors met in early September with officials from the Square, then held a public information session at John F. Kennedy Middle School in early October, which drew mostly negative response to the idea of a gaming facility moving into town.

Despite the opposition, Enfield Mayor Scott Kaupin said he and other town officials received word Thursday afternoon from mall management that “they would be responding to the RFP.”

Kaupin said he and other councilors had been under the impression that support from the community would be required before proceeding with such a proposal. However, he said some wording “alludes to a developer being able to submit an RFP even if there is no support from the town,” which he said is “contrary to all discussions we had with the tribes before they formed the corporation.”

Kaupin referred to the plan as mall officials “making an end run around the process.”

Meanwhile, the executive director of the airport authority told the Hartford Courant he would be submitting a bid on the project by Friday’s deadline, despite official rejection by the Windsor Locks board of selectmen two weeks ago.

Read more at www.courant.com.

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