Press conference video via State House News Service:
Gov. Deval Patrick today named Stephen Crosby, a veteran of Beacon Hill and the dean of a University of Massachusetts policy center, to the high-stakes position of chairman of the five-member commission that will set up and regulate the state’s gambling industry.
Crosby, 66, is independent, works well with Democrats and Republicans, and takes a clear-eyed view of gambling and its impact. In 2003, for example, he wrote an op-ed for the Boston Globe in which he suggested casinos and slots might bring in more money to state government than the state Lottery because the prize payout for slots and casinos would be less than it is at the Lottery. He characterized the Lottery’s approach as “promoting gambling for the sake of gambling.”
Crosby indicated his position on gambling has evolved over time. He didn’t go into detail at a brief press conference outside the governor’s office, but he indicated his reservations about casino gambling had given way to gradual acceptance. “Ultimately, I came to the conclusion you might as well do it and do it right,” he said.
In his new post, Crosby will oversee a five-member commission plus a staff that will have sweeping authority to select casino and slot parlor operators, regulate them, and keep track of the billions of dollars they will bring in and spend. The five-member commission will take action by majority vote. State Treasurer Steve Grossman and Attorney General Martha Coakley will each choose another member of the commission and the remaining two members will be chosen jointly by Patrick, Grossman, and Coakley.
Crosby indicated the commission chair’s job is one he couldn’t turn down. He said his goal will be to maximize the public good that can come from gambling and minimize the negative consequences.
In the past, Crosby served as the secretary of administration and finance under former governor Paul Cellucci and chief of staff to former governor Jane Swift. He has served on a number of government commissions appointed by Gov. Patrick and worked on Patrick’s transition team at the start of his first term.
Crosby indicated he will work a minimum of two years, get the gambling industry and the commission up and running, and then return to his position as dean of the McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies at UMass Boston. His pay as chairman of the gambling commission will be $150,000, about $43,000 less than his current annual salary, according to the state’s Open Checkbook website.
Setting salaries is one policy area where Crosby has demonstrated his independence. In 2009, Patrick, who at the time was taking heat for trying to stash a state senator at a quasi-public authority with a $175,000 annual salary, brought Crosby in to review the salaries paid by all of the authorities. Crosby concluded the salaries were reasonable, but said a wide assortment of perks needed to be moderated.
Patrick largely ignored Crosby’s findings and proceeded to slash salaries and benefits at most – but not all – of the state’s authorities. He even began mischaracterizing the Crosby report’s conclusions to justify his actions. In a CommonWealth article on the subject, Crosby held his ground, criticizing the governor for his heavy-handedness and his unwillingness to pay people what they are worth.
Homepage photo by Mark Morelli.
