Gambling-Business Coalition Forming

Tom Fahey reports in his weekly Under the State House Dome column that New Hampshire businesses are teaming up with the racetracks to push for expanded gambling in the state:

When Millennium Gaming and Rockingham Park unveiled their new "Fix It Now" coalition last week, they brought along a big group of labor and business owners.

The company continues to hold out the promise of $450 million in new construction at the park in exchange for a bill that in its words would allow "limited gaming." Leading the alliance is Chuck Rolecek, president and CEO of The Premier Companies. The company is the operator of C.R. Sparks Event Center and restaurant in Bedford and the upscale Chop House in Manchester.

He's teamed with about 20 others as well as owners of Millennium and Rockingham to push for a change in state gambling laws.

The group includes the Building and Construction Trades Council, with 7,000 workers in member organizations, trades like construction, electric, plumbing, plastering and sheet metal.

Also in the group are: engineering firms T.F. Moran and Inc. and Waterline Industries; executives of Kelly Construction Co. and Harvey Construction Corp.; food service providers Rolecek, Ron Doucet, owner of the Executive Court Inn and Banquet Center in Londonderry, and Hopi Stradling of the One Hundred Club in Portsmouth. There are also car dealers Paul Holloway of Dreher-Holloway in Exeter and Toyota of Portsmouth. Add to them former state Sen. Chuck Morse, the Tracey Edwards Company ad firm, and Centrix Bank.