Holyoke may go for a casino license

HOLYOKE, Mass. (WWLP) - There may be a 5th official contender for a casino license here in western Massachusetts. Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse has apparently changed his mind about bringing a casino to the city.

In his campaign for mayor in 2011, Mayor Alex Morse said a casino does not belong in Holyoke, but the city may be in the running for a casino license after all.

Mayor Morse plans to announce that he's working to bring a casino to Mountain Park. It’s a change of heart that surprised many voters.

John Epstein of Holyoke told 22News “Yeah, it's an extreme shock. It was completely unexpected.”

Under Mayor Morse's plan, the casino would be run by Eric Suher, the owner Mountain Park and Iron Horse Entertainment. But many Holyoke residents told 22News they would hate to lose this trail, a place where they go running and hiking.

Debbie Tilley of Holyoke said “The area is beautiful. The top of the mountain is beautiful. It's just a great view. It's just sad.”

Jamie Mayor of Holyoke told 22News “You bring cheap jobs, so it's a fake environment. All the kids and families around here ski in the wintertime. Something like that would be good. I'd be all for that.”

But some people say the benefits will outweigh any consequences.

Charles Bourguignon who lives on the border of South Hadley and Holyoke told 22News “Let's be practical. You need something, either industry, a hard core industry, or casinos, so if you're going to have it in this area, let's get it in Holyoke. Let's create some jobs.”

Since Friday 22News I-Team reporter Ryan Walsh had made numerous efforts to reach Mayor Morse.by phone and E-Mail. This was followed by numerous efforts from reporter Yoojin Cho. Then late this afternoon, Mayor Morse replied to Yoojin by e-mail, that he'll have nothing to say until his Holyoke city hall news conference Monday morning.