Massachusetts consultant Doug Rubin is in a situation many consultants face: He has two clients with differing interests in legalized gambling in the Bay State.
Rubin’s Northwind Strategies represents Mohegan Sun, a casino operator in Connecticut that’s pursuing a gambling license in Massachusetts. And at the same time, the long-time Democratic consultant is working for Attorney General Martha Coakley’s gubernatorial bid. Coakley’s office has rejected putting a question on the 2014 ballot that would ask voters whether to repeal the state’s 2011 gaming law that authorized casino gambling.
In some ways, Coakley’s interests are aligned with Mohegan Sun, but gambling’s a complicated issue. Rubin explained to the Boston Globe how he manages his two client relationships:
“This is not an uncommon issue for consulting firms like ours to encounter,” he told the paper. “We are very careful to draw clear lines with our clients.”
Rubin said Northwind didn’t “discuss the issue” with Coakley before she made a decision to block the gambling ballot question.
Still, the relationship could prove an issue during the campaign, which isn’t something any consultant wants.