DiZoglio Tours Springfield Casino; Plans to Bring Senators Here

Then-Rep. Diana DiZoglio discussed the state of Methuen's city budget with Bill Macek during an appearance on WHAV's Open Mic Show. (WHAV News photograph.)

State Sen. Diana DiZoglio was among a group of legislators that toured MGM Springfield Monday. She plans to return the favor by bringing senators across the state to this district in the future.

The Methuen Democrat was among senators participating in the “Commonwealth Conversations 2019-2020 Tour.” Sen. James Welch, Democrat from Springfield invited legislators to gauge the impact the casino has had on the region. Topics discussed included employment, tourism, and economic development. The Senate previously visited the site two years ago when the property was under construction. DiZoglio told WHAV she will also be hosting a local tour in the future.

“We support our colleagues by visiting and learning about their district’s issues, and then they come to our district to learn about our initiatives. Teamwork.”

Commonwealth Conversations, organized by Sen Michael Rodrigues of Westport, aims to get legislators out of their own districts to better understand statewide issues.

Besides DiZoglio, Welch and Rodrigues, other senators on the tour were Walter Timilty, Paul Feeney, Michael Barrett, Michael Brady, Eric Lesser, Adam Hinds and Edward Kennedy.

In 2015 and 2017, the Senate visited different regions of the Commonwealth and heard from citizens who expressed concerns on issues ranging from climate change, to education and income inequality. The next stop on the tour will be hosted by Senator Marc Pacheco of Taunton early next month.