Business & Tech

Newport Grand Workers Say "Help Me Keep my Job"

"I for one would love to keep my job for another few years and see the city reap the tax benefits it receives from Newport Grand," said one.

Workers at Newport Grand are worried their jobs are in jeopardy.

With declining revenue from slots and the potential for Newport voters to reject a ballot measure asking for table games at Newport Grand, there is growing concern among workers there that their days making a living at the former jai alai hotspot are numbered.

"I have been employed at Newport Grand for over 4 wonderful years. This place has become family," said Kimberly L. Baron, an employee of the marketing department at Newport Grand. "While I may have been at one time considered a 'transient,' I have fallen in love with Newport and the State of Rhode Island. I wish to keep her as my permanent home address. It would be sad to be another statistic and have to leave the State due to unemployment."

Another employee, John Moitoza of Tiverton, said he's worked at Newport Grand since 1986 and is worried he'll be losing his job if table games aren't allowed there. Table games are a critical part of a potential deal struck between former Providence Mayor Joseph Paolino and a group of high-profile investors who hope to convert Newport Grand into a first-class casino.

Moitoza said the new vision would "finally [be] turning Newport Grand into the casino it should be."

"In order to compete with other states, Newport Grand needs to be competitive with these new and old venues in order to stay afloat and remain open for business," he said. "I for one would love to keep my job for another few years and see the city reap the tax benefits it receives from Newport Grand.  Please allow the question of table games be voted on by the citizens of Newport and help us all keep our jobs, benefits and sanity!"

Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.

Food and Beverage Manager Diane Perry said many of the staff working there have been there for decades. 

"I am a local Newporter that depends on my job and all the many benefits that go with it, also as a Newporter the monetary contributions that Newport Grand makes to the city helps with keeping taxes down as well as many other benefits," Perry said. "Please support the incoming new owners and all of Newport Grand’s existing staff. We all want to stay with this company and grow with it."

Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.

The pleas come at a time the anti-casino effort is building steam. Several members of the group Citizens Concerned About Casino Gambling addressed the City Council last week and urged them to keep the ballot referendum off the table.

Anti-casino advocates say the casino would attract the wrong crowd, absorb and hold tourists in one facility and the city should focus on innovation and economic development of a different sort.

But for the workers at Newport Grand, the proposal by the Paolino group is an opportunity to have some job security as outside forces continue to drain hope from Newport Grand's longterm success.

Paolino and the investors reached a deal to buy the Newport Grand earlier this month. 

Paolino and Peter de Savary — the same de Savary who just sold Merrillton Mansion in Newport for $8.76 million — along with Paul Roiff, released sketches from Northeast Collaborative Architects that depict a radically different looking structure than the existing Newport Grand, which could be mistaken for a chain furniture store if not for the garish "SLOTS" adorning the front facade.

In an interview, Paolino said he envisions a jewel of a structure greeting tourists and visitors to Newport after they come off the bridge.

"We have a concern not just as investors, but as neighbors," Paolino said in a telephone interview. "The last thing we want to see is Donald Trump or some Las Vegas group coming in here with neon signs and changing the character of the city. Our interest is not to move it or make it into a Las Vegas style casino, but more of a boutique look," he said. "It would look a lot nicer as a Monte Carlo-style casino and not a bunch of neon signs."


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here