We sent the letter below to Governor Baker, Attorney General Healey, and Treasurer Goldberg calling on them to withdraw the nomination of State Rep. Brad Hill to the Gambling Commission because of his strong ties to commercialized gambling interests and appoint an individual free from gambling industry influence. As the letter states, Massachusetts citizens were promised that appointees to the state’s Gambling Commission would be highly-qualified individuals free of gambling industry influence. The reason is because the Commission is supposed to provide desperately-needed independent oversight to serve the public interest, not the interest of billion-dollar gambling corporations and their gambling lobbyists. We wish Rep. Hill no ill will but his longtime advocacy on behalf of commercialized gambling interests makes him unfit for this important position. We ask you to please take two actions: 1) Contact the Offices of the Governor, the Attorney General (Policy Division (617) 963-2700 or AGOPolicyGovernment@state.ma.us,) and the State Treasurer call on them to appoint a qualified nominee without ties to the gambling industry. 2) Please share the letter on your Facebook page and ask the members of your social network to also contact the offices referenced above. Thank you. Dear Governor Baker, Attorney General Healey and Treasurer Goldberg, Massachusetts citizens were promised that appointees to the state’s Gambling Commission would be highly-qualified individuals free of gambling industry influence. The reason why is because the Commission is supposed to provide desperately-needed independent oversight to serve the public interest, not the interest of billion-dollar gambling corporations and their gambling lobbyists. The proposed nomination of State Representative Brad Hill to fill a Gambling Commission vacancy does not come anywhere close to this standard. Over the past twenty years, few state legislators have been a bigger friend for the interests of commercialized gambling operators and their lobbyists than Rep. Hill. Governor Baker’s own press release announcing Hill's proposed appointment to the Gambling Commission referred to Hill as “a determined advocate for the Massachusetts gambling industry.” That fact alone makes Rep. Hill unfit for the position. The Gambling Commission requires a “determined advocate” for the people of Massachusetts, not the gambling industry. The role of the state’s Gambling Commission is too critical to merely become another patronage swamp where state legislators with long records of serving gambling interests go to boost their pensions into the six figures. We call on you to withdraw the nomination of Rep. Hill to the Gambling Commission and instead select a highly-qualified individual, free of gambling industry influence, who will put the public interest first. Sincerely,
Les Bernal
National Director
Stop Predatory Gambling
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