Away from the emotionally charged meetings that have drawn hundreds to Foxborough High School, residents interviewed yesterday said the debate has been civil, quiet, and, well, not much of a debate. Vocal supporters of the casino proposal are hard to find in this town of nearly 17,000.
Some said they knew no one who supports the casino plan; others knew only one or two. And even then, they said, that support often amounts less to wholehearted endorsement than to a desire to learn more before dismissing a plan that could bring tax relief to the community.
Town selectmen voted 3 to 2 Tuesday in an early blow to the still-emerging casino plan pitched by Las Vegas magnate Steve Wynn for land held by New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft. Selectmen declared themselves unwilling to negotiate the details of a development that would ultimately need the support of a townwide referendum to succeed.
“I don’t know where the people are that want it,’’ said Lori Dunbar, 43, a resident and the owner of the Pawsmopolitan pet boutique, opposite the town common. The nascent casino proposal has been a frequent subject of discussion among her customers, mostly parents with school-age children, but not one has favored it.
Carpenter Mike Lynch said he has encountered just one friend so far who thought the casino was worth exploring. “He thought it would bring a lot of work to the town,’’ Lynch, 62, said as he left Spoodles Soup Factory, a downtown lunch spot. Their debate did not last long.
“Bring work to the town?’’ Lynch said, scoffing in a cheerful Irish brogue. “Yeah, minimum-wage jobs.’’
At nearby Loewen’s Deli, a middle-aged couple waiting for takeout acknowledged their own casino support, something they had not, to that point, shared with anyone other than family, assuming that most were opposed.
