Despite Gaming Commission Speculation, Ambrosino Says He Has No Job Lined Up

Mayor Tom Ambrosino said he would be staring down joblessness come January 3, and he doesn’t plan to apply for a position on the new Massachusetts Gaming Commission – as many have suggested he might do.

Ambrosino said he has not applied for any of the positions on the Commission as of this week, and though he is interested, he said the timing probably doesn’t work for him.

“It really depends on the timing of when the decision will be made and if they’re not deciding until the middle of March, then the timing is probably not right for me,” said the mayor this week. “I’ll need to find a job before then. I would be interested, but I’m not sure the timing their decision would come soon enough and I’m not sure they would even consider me anyway.”

The new Gaming Commission was established by the recently passed Expanded Gaming legislation, and a five-member Commission has to be picked within around 100 days from now. Gov. Deval Patrick, State Treasurer Steve Grossman and Attorney General Martha Coakley are charged with picking the Commissioners, and they are currently taking applications for the positions. Applications will be closed off on Jan. 9th and a consulting firm has been hired to help weed out the candidates.

Already, on Tuesday, Gov. Patrick chose the chairman of the Commission and it was not Ambrosino.

Instead, Stephen Crosby – a former state cabinet member and now a political science professor at UMass-Boston – has been chosen as the chair.

Another position for Ambrosino that has caused some speculation is the MassPort Director’s job. Former Director Tom Kinton retired last summer and the search for a new director has dragged on for months. Some sources have indicated that the committee might end up plucking a local municipal official to lead the agency.

Nevertheless, Ambrosino said he hasn’t applied or considered that position either.

“I did not apply for that position,” he said in an e-mail on Tuesday. “I always assumed that they were looking someone with significant airport experience.”

What he did say is that he would be staying in the Mayor’s Office until Jan. 2nd and expected Mayor-elect Dan Rizzo to take over the office on the morning of January 3.

Come that day, he said he has no definite employment plans.

“I might practice law again, but I do have some resumes out there, though there is nothing definitive yet,” he said.