I’ve never been to Martha’s Vineyard.
When I read that the Wampanoag Tribe of Aquinnah had said they had Federal approval to put a casino on the island, I wasn’t sure what to think. So I called the person, from among those I know, most likely to be informed about the subject: Sarah McCormick Regan.
Sarah and I went to Babson College together, and though we have not seen each other since our 1977 graduation, I remember her well. As Managing Editor of The Babson Free Press, she had reputation of being very friendly, intelligent, hardworking, down-to-earth and blunt. No BS from Sarah – never.
During the long Wednesday nights of “putting the paper to bed”, Sarah occasionally mentioned her summers on Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard. The stories (told in a New England accent to die for) were always funny and informative – and never meant to impress. So based on my memories of Sarah and her knowledge of Martha’s Vineyard, I gave her a call. I told her secretary that I had not chatted with Sarah in 35 years – and ten seconds later an unforgettable voice said “Jeffrey, we talked on the phone four years ago!” (Some people have better recall than others.)
Before I asked her about Martha’s Vineyard (and after ten minutes of gossiping), I asked her opinion of gambling in Massachusetts – and was surprised and impressed. She knew more about the various Massachusetts gaming issues than I do, being extremely well versed in the details. She also was very clear in her support of Bay State casinos. She voted in the 2011 statewide election to allow gaming, and added “If Milford votes down Foxwoods on Tuesday, they are being very short-sighted.”
Sarah’s opinion of a casino on Martha’s Vineyard: “No Way.”
Besides questioning the legality of the tribe’s right to build a casino, Sarah simply does not see how the property would succeed if it went forward. “I have visited Martha’s Vineyard at least every other summer of my life. The only way to get to the island is by flying or the Woods Holes or Hyannis ferries. The shortest crossing (Woods Hole) takes 45 minutes and costs $16 round trip (per person); it’s $140 if you have a car. Most importantly, summer car reservations have to be made months in advance.”
Sarah said that many people do fly commercial and private planes back and forth to the island (as well as private boats), but neither of us thought that many people would do that just to visit a casino – especially with existing competition in Rhode Island, Connecticut, and possibly Cape Cod in Massachusetts.
“Martha’s Vineyard does not have necessary infrastructure. The roads are very narrow, the bridges are worse – there is no way they can handle casino traffic,” Sarah said. “And I question how many of the full-time residents (16,500) or the summer visitors (85,000) would patronize a casino in addition to their other activities. [Similar to Las Vegas locals going to the Strip], they would only go if they had a short-time visitor who wanted to play. Again, no way.”
As we concluded the call, Sarah commented that “If Milford does approve the Foxwoods casino – and I think it will – a lot of credit should go to Scott Butera [the Foxwoods president]. His presentations are first rate and his approach towards the residents has been wonderful. For him and the town I hope he succeeds.”
