Senators who urged Lamont to slow reopening support casino plans

As Gov. Ned Lamont pushes the state’s tribal casinos to reconsider their plan to restart on June 1, several state senators who urged Lamont to delay reopening the state, support the casinos’ decision to open their doors.

The senators say the tribes’ situation is different in part because they are sovereign nations and in part because the state is seeing very few infections in New London County, where they are located.

In a letter to tribal leaders Thursday, Michelle Seagull, commissioner of the state Department of Consumer Protection, gave the tribes one day to provide comprehensive details about their plans to reopen on June 1. As of Friday afternoon, DCP had not received a response from the tribes, a spokesman said.

Lamont has urged the casinos — in strong language with threats to appeal directly to their customers — to wait at least until June 20, when he expects the state will begin to allow indoor dining at restaurants.

Nine Senate Democrats signed a letter on May 14 urging Lamont to delay the planned May 20 Phase 1 reopening of the state. At least two of those now say they support the tribes’ decision to reopen and none has spoken publicly in support of Lamont’s position.

“Gov. Lamont has refused to play politics or pick favorites throughout this pandemic, and all elected officials should follow his lead,” said Lamont spokesman Max Reiss.

Rep. Vin Candelora RNorth Branford, said he too understands the casinos’ plight because he owns a business, Connecticut Sportsplex, that remains closed, with employees furloughed.

“As you sit here and you watch businesses open,” Candelora said, “I think it’s imperative that we put the guidelines forward and allow these businesses to open and follow the guidelines …. We’re picking winners and losers based on a lot of data that we’re not even sure about.”

As for the casinos, he said, “We have to recognize that fact that they have that sovereignty and No. 2 it’s a huge economic driver for the state of Connecticut.”

State Sen. Matt Lesser, D-Middletown, who also signed the letter to Lamont, said that he understands the plight of the casinos and the economic impact their closure has had on southeastern Connecticut, though he still has some concerns about the safety of reopening.

“I know according to the Department of Labor there are some towns that have unemployment near 40 percent because of the impact of the closures,” Lesser said. “I take that pretty seriously. It’s very tough in my part of the state and other parts, so I can’t imagine how devastating that must be in that part of the state where the workforce has one major employer.”