Board of Aldermen 03-22-2022 Page 11
Kurt Mathias
Once again, Kurt Mathias — Boston Billiards Club. We have adequate security staff and we also employ - not employ - but
have Nashua Police details on to cover us until closing time. So we believe we have the security and if we didn't, we
obviously | sometimes agree with President Wilshere that nothing good happens after 1 am but, you know, we believe
with our security staff we can handle it. If we didn't, we would voluntarily go back to one on the morning immediately. We
don't want trouble any more than the city wants trouble. We don't want police officers hurt, our people hurt. We would we
would go back. In talking with the new Police Commissioner, he's on board with it as long as there are no issues either. |
don't know if that answers your question?
Alderman Thibeault
Yeah, absolutely.
Kurt Mathias
Okay. All right. Thank you.
President Wilshire
Thank you. Mr. Rafferty did you want to weigh in?
Jim Rafferty
Jim Rafferty - owner and operator of the River Casino downtown and the Lucky Moose up on Exit 6. We believe that this
is just a natural outgrowth of the parties that we have. We throw it out at night downtown and we are totally as Mr.
Mathias said, confident that we can control the facility. This would be win, win, win, win for the customers, win for the
charities, win for the operators, win for downtown enjoyment.
Alderman Thibeault
Thank you. Just a follow up comment please. Thank you. Thank you. Both those comments are exactly what | wanted
to hear and | wanted people to hear in this meeting. So that's perfect. Thank you so much.
Alderman Clemons
Thank you. To follow up on that. That is precisely the reason | brought this forward the way that | did. So in the past, this
has come before this Board in different iterations twice before to basically extended it to the entire city anybody that had a
liquor license. The concerns that were raised, you know, | took to heart and so | thought about what facilities in Nashua
want this the most, would benefit from it the most, but could also handle it? All of the casinos have built in security. It's
part of their apparatus. | think they answered it perfectly. They're going to be able to patrol this very well. They already
have the apparatus to do so.
Furthermore, | think this from a business perspective, this will set Nashua apart for those gaming facilities. So folks that
may decide between Manchester and Nashua or Nashua and maybe going to a casino in Boston might choose to stay
here instead. So | think we're putting our casinos at a competitive advantage and | think that they have the staff to handle
this change.
Alderman Cathey
Thank you Madam Chair. Being a person who does not like a lot of regulation, and | appreciate the two gentleman's
answers, but could we or should we even codify that very, very specific rule into the law when there could be extenuating
circumstances? I'm not familiar with the industry so | could be way off but | feel like it's worth having the discussion being
that it is an additional regulation on top of them - asking them to only let people that are already in the building.
Alderman Clemons
Yeah, | wouldn't put that in the ordinance. | think in the motion that | have is to just leave it as is. The reason | wouldn't
put that in the ordinances because | think that the businesses can handle that. | think they're responsible and as they said
if it becomes a problem for them, they'll voluntarily go back to 1 am. So! have no issue with - | don't think we need to add
stipulations.
