Eager for information, Longa invited herself to a December meeting with 10 other residents at which Las Vegas casino mogul Steve Wynn and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft talked about a $1 billion hotel resort on land owned by Kraft. The next day, she posted details from the meeting on her Facebook page. Longa got so many responses that she formed a Facebook discussion group on the proposed casino. Meanwhile, Foxborough selectmen voted, 3 to 2, against a casino, Wynn and Kraft have vowed not to give up, and the debate rages on.
Longa, who describes herself as a “nonpolitical peacemaker,’’ acknowledges that she is an unlikely moderator on an issue that has roiled the town, sometimes pitting neighbor against neighbor. With emotions running high, all sides are using social media to share information, as well as to hurl barbs. Similar debates are flaring in towns and cities throughout the state, as developers target potential casino sites.
From the start, Longa says she has tried to set some ground rules.
“We realize this is a very emotional issue so we ask you to be respectful to each other and realize everyone has a right to their opinion,’’ she wrote. The online olive branch has done little to tamp down antagonism.
In Foxborough, the casino issue has split the community into two factions: a vocal, well-organized anti-casino group and a quieter pro-casino group. Longa maintains that her site, Foxboro Casino Discussion, is the only one that is neither “for’’ nor “against.’’ She describes it as “pro-information’’ and open to all polite posters.
This, she says, sets her apart from anti-casino site No Fox-Vegas for those who “are decidedly against any form of casino gambling in Foxborough,’’ according to Collin Earnst, who founded the site with his wife, Erin, on Dec. 2, the day Wynn and Kraft announced their plan.
It is a David-and-Goliath task for Longa. No Fox-Vegas has 853 Facebook friends, while Foxboro Casino Discussion - her site - has just 129.
