SALEM - With the membership of Salem's new casino advisory committee now finalized, the group will soon get down to the business of determining the monetary benefits Salem might receive should gaming be legalized in the Granite State.

The committee will hold its first meeting Thursday at 6 p.m. in the upstairs conference room at Salem Town Hall.

Members of the much-anticipated committee were announced at the start of Monday night's selectmen meeting.

Selectmen representative Stephen Campbell, school board representative Michael Carney Jr., and Sen. Chuck Morse will join citizen representatives Gary Boutin, Phil Cammarata, Howie Glynn, Carlo Luiso, Jr., Harold Moore and Richard Wilson.

"This is going to be the biggest job we've had for anyone," Selectman Everett McBride said this week. The board had initially announced its plans to form a committee in early January.

Earlier this year, NH Casino Now chairman Daniel Norris said the committee would be in contact with representatives from Millennium Gaming, a group of developers hoping to bring Rockingham Park to its former glory should gaming be legalized.

At the recommendation of Selectmen Jim Keller, the committee will be tasked with determining specific goals for use of funds received from local gaming once potential revenues are determined.

"That way the committee can offer up some specific goals," Keller noted. The newly formed advisory committee will work from now through Sept. 1 toward that goal, with a written report detailing their recommendations to be submitted at that time.

"Of course, depending on what happens in the House, this may happen sooner rather than later," Campbell said. All committee meetings will be open to the public, with further meeting dates to be posted on the town website.