Opinion

Editorial: Mashantucket land swap a no brainer

Friday, May 18, 2007

"Why not swap Indiantown Park for Clark Farm? That's the question Ledyard voters will have to decide at a referendum Tuesday, and the idea seems to make a lot of sense.

The town owns the so-called Indiantown Park, a hardscrabble, 77-acre, triangle-shaped parcel that abuts the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe's reservation on one side, and a portion of Route 214 on the other. Mayor Susan B. Mendenhall has suggested the town swap Indiantown Park for the Mashantucket-owned Clark property, a 102-acre former farm at 1025 Colonel Ledyard Highway, not far from the Preston town line.

The Mashantucket Pequot Tribe was federally recognized in 1983. It has built its gaming empire in the Ledyard woods since that time. There have been hard feelings on both sides over the decades and annexation has always been a fiery issue.

But the proposed land swap seems to be a good deal for the town and the tribe. And the town's legal counsel has said there are no significant legal issues, and that the transaction could have a beneficial effect on the relationship between Ledyard and the Mashantuckets.

For some townspeople the hard feelings about the tribe's rags-to-riches-success story will never go away. They will be angry as long as the Mashantuckets' Foxwoods Resort Casino flourishes. Those residents will likely vote no. But The Day recommends a Yes vote on the land swap."

Get the Story:
Editorial: Land Swap Is No-Brainer (The New London Day 5/18)
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Other Views:
Harold T. Moreash: Vote 'yes' To Land Swap Between Tribe, Ledyard (The New London Day 5/18)
Martin J. Lynch: Land Swap Will Benefit Residents And Indians (The New London Day 5/18)