MGM gives cash for grocery store near site

Casino company pitches in for ‘pop up’ store

BRIDGEPORT — Having sunk several million dollars into lobbying to build a casino in Connecticut’s largest city, MGM Resorts International on Sunday gave some money to the neighborhood where it wants to break ground.

The neighborhood in question, the East End, is represented by state Sen. Edwin Gomes, whom MGM and its supporters hope will fight to pass a pro-casino bill before the legislative session ends at midnight Wednesday.

During a hastily-convened press conference on Sunday, MGM Senior Vice President Uri Clinton presented East End community leaders, Gomes included, with a $50,000 check to help with the construction costs of a temporary or “pop-up” grocery store, expected to open in the neighborhood later this year.

“This is nothing more than a good faith down payment,” Clinton told the small crowd gathered at 1851 Stratford Ave., the site of the pop up establishment.

But the timing and suddenness of Sunday’s event also made it seem like last-minute lobbying. Late last week, Bridgeport legislators in the state House of Representatives orchestrated the successful passage of a bill promoted by MGM and its allies that would launch a competitive bidding process for a new Connecticut casino.

Now all eyes are on the city’s two state Senators, Gomes and Marilyn Moore, to get the proposal passed by their colleagues before the legislative session ends Wednesday.

Gomes and the two state representatives who were present for Sunday’s check ceremony — Christopher Rosario and Ezequiel Santiago — admitted they had only been invited that morning.

In a brief interview, Clinton said the $50,000 donation was the culmination of discussions that began in October over what MGM could do for the East End. “It just took this long to work it out,” he said, adding “Of course I want him (Gomes) to have every indication we’ll do what we say we’re gonna do.”

Gomes praised Clinton. “He’s been a class person,” he said. “And you know me — I don’t believe in blowing smoke . ... He hasn’t told a lie yet.”

Champions needed

The East End is a socalled food desert because residents have no convenient access to fresh produce. A supermarket was previously announced for part of the Seaview Avenue lot where MGM wants its casino and hotel, and the company has continually reassured the neighborhood that a permanent grocery store remains a priority.

Deborah Caviness, whose Greater Bridgeport Opportunities Industrial Center will provide administrative oversight for the pop-up project, praised MGM as “champions of social change ... making an impact in inner city neighborhoods.”

Clinton during his comments at the check presentation mentioned the hoped-for Senate vote and that MGM and the East End “need some champions” this week to fight for the casino bill.

While Bridgeport’s House members have been generally united in bringing a casino to town, Gomes and Moore have been less reliable. The pair last year instead backed a proposal allowing the Indian tribes that operate the two casinos in the southeastern part of Connecticut — Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods — to partner on an East Windsor venture.

That East Windsor casino, which has stalled over a lack of federal approval, is intended to buffer competition from MGM’s soon-to-open Springfield, Mass. casino. The tribes and their allies do not favor MGM’s Bridgeport plan.

In a prior interview, Moore, who could not be reached Sunday for comment, worried about the potential negative impacts of a casino on Bridgeport — more problem gamblers and potential traffic congestion — and was unsure Connecticut needs another gaming destination.

Still, this session she and Gomes publicly supported and testified for the casino competition bill that Rosario, Santiago and the rest of Bridgeport’s House members managed to get voted on and passed, 77 to 73 votes, Friday.

Bridgeport’s House delegation did so by threatening to bring other pending legislation to a halt.

“It was almost blackmail,” Gomes joked with Rosario and Santiago Sunday. “The (voting) margins between Republicans and Democrats have changed. They (Democratic leaders) need you.”

The same can be said of Gomes and Moore, who are also Democrats, in the Senate, where the two parties are tied with 18 members apiece.

Rosario and Santiago said in interviews Sunday that they hoped Gomes and Moore would do all they could to get the casino bill approved in the Senate this week.

“I would expect nothing less than a full force effort from both to push this legislation across the finish line,” Rosario said.

“I know Senator Gomes wants to get this done,” Santiago said. “I’m hoping we see this same fire and passion from Senator Moore.”

State Rep. Jack Hennessy, D-Bridgeport, who was not at the East End event, said he spoke with Moore Saturday: “She said she’s got a lot on her plate, but she’s going to work to get it (the casino bill) out.”

“It’s gonna be an uphill battle,” Gomes said of convincing enough Senators to back the legislation. And even if it is passed, there is a question of whether Gov. Dannel P. Malloy would sign it or veto it.

“Marilyn will support it,” Gomes said, but added “She’s not crazy about gambling.”

Moore

Gomes