RUMFORD – Selectman Brad Adley announced his support for building a casino in Oxford County following a 60-minute closed-door session with the project’s proponent.

“I now have a lot more information than I had before,” Adley said.

Adley and Selectman Rob Cameron, who was not at Thursday’s special meeting, had voted in the minority against supporting the casino at a board meeting last week.

Both said they could not support a project without knowing where it would be located, how it would be financed and what the impact would be on the host community.

Selectman Mark Belanger, who supported the proposal last week, said he felt much more comfortable with the plan following the closed session.

Proponent Seth Carey, who has been striving to find a location and financial backing for the casino resort for nearly three years, said he hopes to have a question on the Nov. 4 ballot in each Oxford County town that has shown interest in siting the project, asking if voters there would support the casino in their town.

Voters statewide will decide whether to allow a casino in Oxford County during the November election. Voters of the town where it would be eventually sited must also approve it.

Carey said in public that two of the towns are Rumford and Mexico. He would not identify others with interest. He said he has spoken before boards of selectmen in other Oxford County towns.

“Some are enthusiastic. No one really really rejected it. They wanted more information. Once those questions are answered, everyone is excited about the concept,” he said.

Town Manager Len Greaney, who had previously planned to hold two other sessions on the casino proposal – one from opponents and a second in the form of a public forum at which both sides would be represented – said following the meeting that he believes those sessions are no longer needed.

“Seth will run a statewide program. If the casino wins (in referendum), Rumford would be in a sales mode,” he said.

Carey said as soon as he had more solid information on investors and a location, he would announce it to the public.

As the referendum question is proposed, the state would receive about 40 percent of the gaming income with much of that earmarked for specific purposes, and 60 percent would go to investors and Evergreen Mountain Enterprises.