OXFORD — The original investors in the local casino have contributed money to Friends of the Oxford Casino, a political action committee formed to oppose referendums for Lewiston and Biddeford gambling sites.

Jim Boldebook, owner of Creative Broadcast Concepts ad agency and one of the investors, said Wednesday that all of the original investors are involved in Black Bear Funding, which has contributed about $200,000 to Friends of the Oxford Casino.

“This is not a contribution from the casino operation,” Boldebook said Wednesday. He said Mark Ferguson, head of Friends of the Oxford Casino, approached the group of investors and asked if they would contribute.

Friends of the Oxford Casino has stated its concern that passage of the casino proposals could hurt state education funding promised in the Oxford casino’s takeout.

“We think they’ve got a legitimate gripe,” Boldebook said.

Boldebook said that while the Black Bear investors are confident they’ll build a first-class resort, there was concern over whether they were “going to fulfill all of our promises with future expansions and the hotel and so forth.”

He said Black Bear Funding hasn’t contributed to any of the other groups opposing the casino referendums and that the investors aren’t involved in running Friends of the Oxford Casino.

“We’re not involved in campaigns or doing any of the road work,” he said. He said Black Bear Funding made no demands on how Friends of the Oxford Casino would spend the money.

treaves@sunjournal.com

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