Publisher believes the reality of Horse Racing in Gardner is a longshot. Other business ideas probably would rate higher on “best interest of City” scale.
Editorial – Why Council Members and the Mayor Can’t Pre-judge a Proposal
Whether it’s a Horse Racing Track, a space museum, or robot factory, any business has a right by law to respond to a request for proposal. Part 1 covers what they propose to do with the property and Part 2 covers how much they’re willing to pay for it. Massachusetts Law requires the Mayor to consider proposals based on what is in the best interests of the City. If he were to publicly say YES or NO in favor of one idea or another, it would not be fair to all bidders who rightly expect a complete and fair review. With that said, there is a history of Horse Racing proposals being rejected by many communities for a variety of reasons so my suggestion is this: If ultimately the property becomes available as commercial land, make sure other parties propose something which is better for the City and you won’t have to worry about Horse Racing. Additionally: They should consider what businesses residents think we actually need and what’s in the best interest of the City – and, they are already required to do that under the law. So, is there really a problem or is it Social Media nonsense yet again?