Indian Country Today interviews Cedric Cromwell, the chairman of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, about losing regional exclusivity for casino in southeastern Massachusetts:
The tribe is very close to finishing the federal land into trust process and now this new wrinkle appears with the Massachusetts Gaming Commission opening up the tribe’s exclusivity zone to commercial gaming. We’ll keep fighting and we’ll prevail. That’s our way and that’s my job. We’re closer than ever and we still have more work to do. I think the real obstacle is the mindset of folks who don’t respect our tribal rights and our tribal provisions. Unfortunately, even today when there’s more tribal awareness and tribal acceptance there’s still ignorance about tribal rights. The governor acted in a respectful, artful and collaborative way [in negotiating the tribal-state gaming compact] and the Massachusetts legislature took into account tribal rights and clearly stated them in the tribal provisions of the Extended Gaming Act of 2011. Certainly, the tribe met and exceeded all the needs and goals and continues along with the trust land process The Massachusetts Gaming Commission made a very misguided, ill-advised decision. At the end of the day, if they award a commercial destination resort casino in our region, we’re not going to pay the Commonwealth anything and it will lose hundreds of millions of dollars. How can the commission override the authority of the governor and legislature, which passed a bill for three casinos in three different regions? One of the commissioners, Commissioner James McHugh, is a former judge and he thinks he’s on the bench. He goes into his interpretation of what he believes the law is. We’ve clearly stated that, legally, they don’t have the right to interpret the law the way they’re doing. So while I’m not going to come out and say we’re going to file a lawsuit, what we are going to do is focus on getting our land into trust, getting our facility open and if they’re that foolish to award a commercial license and a developer is that foolish to invest money near a tribe that’s paying zero dollars, game on! And it’s a great day for the tribe and a bad day for the Commonwealth. Those gaming commissioners will be held accountable for destroying the landscape of gaming for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.Get the Story:
Cromwell: Massachusetts Gaming Commission Is 'Rogue Group' (Indian Country Today 4/24) Also Today:
Taunton casino pact looks mired at State House (State House News Service 4/25) An Opinion:
Editorial: Gambling panel does its job; tribe should end its attacks (The Boston Globe 4/25)
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