Indian Gaming > Eastern Cherokee chief upset over compact talks

April 20, 2006

Eastern Cherokee chief upset over compact talks

Michell Hicks, the chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, said North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley (D) was wrong to halt gaming compact talks.

Hicks said the tribe and the state struck a deal three weeks ago to authorize a second casino and more Class III games. But he said Easley pulled the plug without warning and after making last-minute demands.

"I don't want to sit here and say that I've been lied to," Hicks said in an interview with The Charlotte News & Observer. "But if you're going to tell me no, then tell me no. Don't walk me down the path and then, all of a sudden, the path has no end."

Get the Story:
Tribe lashes Easley over casino talks (The Charlotte News & Observer 4/20)
Fund request kills casino talk (The Asheville Citizen-Times 4/20)