Despite calls to resign, Gaming Commission chief stays put

BOSTON (MyFoxBoston.com) -- Days after recusing himself from any licensing decisions on a casino in the Greater Boston area, Stephen Crosby appears to be staying put as Chairman of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission. 

Fox25 Political Reporter Sharman Sacchetti has asked a Gaming Commission spokeswoman for a sit down interview with Crosby, but we were told he would only speak with us at the next gaming commission hearing later this week.

Meantime the calls are continuing to grow for Crosby's resignation.  "I think Governor Patrick should replace the chairman at this point, because there's so much controversy."

That seems unlikely, since Governor Patrick's office told us in a statement, "The Governor continues to believe that the Chairman's recusal should allow the focus to shift back to the work the commission is doing to implement the gaming law." 

It's hard to focus when controversy keeps swirling around you.  First, Crosby failed to disclose his past relationship with the owner of the Everett site for more than a year.  Then last week, Crosby finally recused himself, but only after he was spotted attending a private party at Suffolk Downs during opening day.

If Chairman Crosby can't take part in decisions for the state's flagship casino, what is the point of his staying on altogether?  The Pioneer institute's Greg Sullivan puts it in perspective. 

"If you kind of made a pie chart of the significant decisions that the gaming commission is going to make, the awarding of the license in region one would be forty or fifty percent of that pie chart."

State Representative Shaunna O'Connell, (R) Taunton, tells us she hopes the "Patrick administration is not going to stand by yet another commissioner who needs to step down until there's a crisis that comes along." 

She is calling for Crosby to step down as well, in an effort to keep public confidence. 

"At a time when Massachusetts, over the past several years, has been plagued with scandal, the last three Speakers of the House being indicted...right now, we're going through a corruption trial in the probation department, we've got to ensure the highest levels of integrity here." 

Five gubernatorial candidates have called for Crosby's resignation, including Democrats Martha Coakley, Steve Grossman, Juliette Kayyem, Republican Charlie Baker, and Independent Evan Falchuk.

Cox Media Group