Harrington, a former School Committee member, said he hasn’t decided whether he’ll run again but that the casino won’t determine whether he does or doesn’t.
“I love this community,’’ he said. “I would hope that voters look at an entire record and not just one issue, but who knows?’’
Brue, a former chairwoman of the town’s Advisory Committee, has already announced reelection plans. She said her position on the gambling issue that has sent the town into pandemonium hasn’t wavered since the five-member board first discussed it in September.
A casino is not right for Foxborough, she said. “And the voters in Foxborough will want to know where the candidates stand on this very important issue.’’
That is very true, agreed longtime lawyer and Foxborough resident John Michelmore - although he said whether any candidates emerge to challenge the incumbents, whom he described as diametrically opposed, has yet to be seen.
“There isn’t anyone who doesn’t have an opinion on this,’’ he said. “But anyone who has been watching these meetings would be reluctant to step into this hornets’ nest. . . . There is some hostility that is clearly boiling over.’’
Tensions surged when Brue asked whether Harrington, and other selectmen who changed their votes, had been influenced by the casino developers to back away from their unanimous stance against gambling in September. Harrington angrily denied it in public last week, slapping back at Brue’s steadfast support of an unpopular town meals tax proposal that failed twice before finally passing last year.
Stress from the casino plan has been palpable at recent public meetings, with people shouting each other down and some selectmen slapping the table with their hands or threatening to walk out.
