Casino backers outspending foes
Proponents of a four-season resort casino in Oxford County have raised $2.1 million to convince voters to approve it next month, outspending the project's opponents 10-to-1.
According to reports filed with the state Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices, pro-casino PAC Maine Taxpayers Taking Charge has spent nearly all of its funds on the campaign, The Associated Press reported. The biggest contributors are the casino's investors and partners in Black Bear Entertainment, including former Barber Foods President Stephen Barber, Mt. Abram ski resort co-owner Rob Lally Jr. and Bob Bahre and his son, Gary, former owners of the New Hampshire International Speedway and the Oxford Plains Speedway. Two anti-casino political action committees have raised about $180,000 to fight the proposal: Citizens Against the Oxford Casino PAC reported $150,000 in contributions, with about $115,000 spent, and CasinosNO! has received about $30,000 in contributions this year and spent more than $34,000.
A recent poll conducted by Portland firm Critical Insights and commissioned by MaineToday Media found that 53% of likely voters support a casino, according to the Portland Press Herald.
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Go to the article from the Portland Press Herald >>
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