PROVIDENCE – Senate leadership is opposed to a casino at Quonset/Davisville port.

In a joint statement, Senate President M. Teresa Paiva Weed, D-Newport; Majority Leader Dominick J. Ruggerio, D-Providence; and Minority Leader Dennis L. Algiere, R-Westerly; last week expressed strong opposition to any proposal for a casino on the North Kingstown property.

The release came amid growing talk of a potential casino at the Quonset/Davisville port in recent weeks. The statement said a casino is “not the right fit for Quonset.”

Chief among the reasons for the senators’ opposition was the investment in the area made by companies including TORAY Industries (America) Inc., NORAD and Electric Boat, as well as other, smaller businesses in Quonset.

Additionally, the state has made investments to encourage economic development and job growth in the area, including a voter-approved $50 million bond initiative to expand and improve railways in the region. •