CasinoWatch

The "Casino Killers"; Middleboro will seek help, doesn't favor casino; Mashpee to vote on land deal

Hired guns take aim at governor’s casino campaign

The “casino killers”
The title comes from their history of winning campaigns in New England against casinos.  “I haven’t lost yet,” bragged Dennis Bailey.MIDDLEBORO -  Twin brothers nicknamed the “casino killers” have been hired by the state’s anti-casino group to set their sights on Gov. Deval Patrick’s casino plan, and Middleboro’s tribal project could get caught in the crossfire.

Dennis Bailey of Savvy Inc. of Maine will work to defeat the governor’s plan for three commercial casinos with his twin brother, Douglas Bailey, of Boston-based DBMediaStrategies. The two are planning fundraisers to foot the bill for their services, which will cost nearly $10,000 a month, Dennis Bailey said.  Richard Young, president of both the local anti-casino group CasinoFacts and the statewide coalition Casino Free Mass., said the Bailey brothers were hired to take on the governor...  Enterprise. 
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It's inaccurate to say Middleborough supports a casino

An article appearing in the Boston Sunday Globe ("Patrick's stance irks some in town," Feb. 10) captured the displeasure of Middleborough Selectman Wayne Perkins and Casino Study Committee chairman Brian Giovanoni with the governor's position on the proposed Wampanoag casino. They seem to feel that the governor has an obligation to support whatever the tribe wants. At this time, the only group that is actually legally bound to carry water for the tribe and its investors is the elected and appointed officials of the Town of Middleborough.

If one can summarize the position of the townspeople based up a Town Meeting vote - and it was the largest Town Meeting ever - then one could accurately say that the people of Middleborough oppose a casino, but favor having an agreement to mitigate the damage caused by one if it cannot be stopped...  Globe. 
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Mashpee voters to decide on land deal with Wampanoag tribe

MASHPEE - Selectmen have voted to put a land deal with the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe before a special town meeting. The select board voted 3-0, with one abstaining, on Thursday to hold the special town meeting on April 7.

Selectman Don Meyers says lawyers are finalizing the document and the board expects to vote on it Feb. 25.  The tribe has approved the deal to place 140 acres into trust through the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs. It includes a promise that the tribe would not try to build a casino, or make further claims to land owned by the town or private citizens in Mashpee...  Herald.  
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Middleboro will seek help for casino planning

MIDDLEBORO -  Town planning for a proposed casino has ground to a halt, and selectmen have called an emergency meeting for Saturday to resolve the problem.

During an executive session on Monday, selectmen hammered out an employment contract for a temporary planner to take some of the workload off Town Planner Ruth M. Geoffroy, who has been the town’s point person for the proposed Mashpee Wampanoag tribe’s casino...  Enterprise. 

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Patrick gets tough over casinos; Tribe approves land deal with Mashpee

Globe Editorial
Patrick gets tough over casinos

Tribe agrees not to take back land in Mashpee
“We just voted away our children’s futures” -Wamp

Yesterday the "approved" members of the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe gave their OK to an agreement to not contest the tribe's rights to more ancestral land in that town. 
   The yes vote by a 2-1 margin at Mashpee High School may help the discredited leadership  in their  plans for a $1 billion Indian casino just off-Cape in Middleboro. Those plan have received a series of set-backs recently.
Land Suit Still in Works
The law allows any Native American to sue Mashpee for recovery of land taken wrongfully over the past century. Several Wampanoags are threatening such a suit.  “At least the Indians of Manhattan got beads,” said Wampanoag Steven Bingham.
Read previous reports here.Efforts by the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe to place its planned casino site in Middleborough in a federal trust are more likely to end in a drawn-out fight than a healthy payoff for either the tribe or the residents of Massachusetts. The Patrick administration is right to resist the Wampanoags' efforts and to encourage the tribe instead to bid for a state-issued casino license.

The tribe, which won federal recognition last year, is now seeking to establish official sovereignty over more than 500 acres, which would place it largely outside the state's jurisdiction. The Patrick administration has sent an 125-page objection to the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs, arguing that the tribe has failed to provide adequate safeguards in such areas as zoning, public safety, labor, consumer protection, and the environment. These are substantive issues, but the real message is that the administration is serious about following its own casino plan.

Patrick proposes sensible legislation that would license three destination casinos across the state. The plan is carefully crafted to generate new jobs and new tax revenues, including an estimated $600 million to $900 million in one-time licensing fees and about $400 million in annual revenue...  Globe. 

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State opposes Mashpee Wampanoag Casino in Middleborough

Patrick Administration submits response to Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe land-in-trust application
Commonwealth Opposes Application Due to Lack of Specific Information on Safeguards and Protections

The Patrick Administration has submitted a response to the federal government opposing the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe’s request to place more than 500 acres of land in Middleborough into trust for the purpose of operating a tribal casino.

In a letter to the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), the Administration cites concerns that the Tribe’s land-in-trust application fails to provide the BIA with the criteria required under its regulations and does not include important safeguards around environmental protection, zoning, transportation, labor, public safety, public health, and consumer protection. The BIA asked the Commonwealth to submit a response by February 6, 2008.

The response is consistent with Governor Deval Patrick’s proposal for three commercial resort casinos, which has built in extensive safeguards and protections to account for public health, public safety, environmental, and other concerns. A tribal casino authorized through the land-in-trust process does not guarantee these safeguards or strict oversight of gaming activities. 

“Because the placement of lands in trust may exempt certain activities on those lands from state and local laws, there are significant jurisdictional concerns at the state level which, unless resolved, should preclude the BIA from recommending approval of the Tribe’s proposed acquisition,” the letter states. “Because the placement of lands in trust may exempt certain activities on those lands from state and local laws, there are significant jurisdictional concerns at the state level which, unless resolved, should preclude the BIA from recommending approval of the Tribe’s proposed acquisition,” the letter states. “Those concerns include environmental issues relating to potential adverse impacts on wildlife and natural resources; zoning and land use concerns; transportation issues relating to increased traffic volume and the feasibility of proposed improvements; labor and employment issues relating to wage and benefit protections and the health and safety of employees; public safety, public health, and consumer protection concerns.”

The Tribe will have the opportunity to respond to the BIA and attempt to address the Commonwealth’s concerns.

A summary of the comments follow:

• The Commonwealth opposes the Tribe’s application because it fails to provide the BIA with the criteria required under the regulations that would allow the BIA to evaluate the Tribe’s proposed acquisition.
• The Commonwealth opposes the application because it fails to build in the necessary safeguards that are required under Massachusetts law (safeguards that were built into the resort casino legislation):
  
  • Environmental, zoning, transportation, labor, public safety, public health, and consumer protection.
    
    • Environmental:
      • Ensure that the project complies with green house gas policy, onsite renewable energy generation, energy efficiency goals, and sustainable development principles
      • Department of Environmental Management -water management, wetlands protection, water pollution, drinking water, hazardous waste, solid waste management, air pollution concerns
      • Department of Fish and Game - wildlife and habitat concerns
      • Department of Conservation and Recreation - conservation land concerns
    • Zoning:
      • Affordable housing concerns
    • Transportation:
      • Traffic volume concerns
      • Access concerns
      • Transportation-related environmental concerns
      • Transportation-related cost concerns (who pays)
    • Labor and Employment:
      • Wage and benefit concerns- health insurance, unemployment insurance, time off
      • Health and safety concerns- smoking, occupational safety, workers’ compensation
      • Anti-discrimination concerns
      • Privacy concerns
    • Public Safety:
      • State Police - early involvement, district attorneys, neighboring police departments, general policing plan
      • Department of Fire Services - mutual aid agreements
      • Department of Public Safety - state building code, other specialized codes (electrical code, etc), disability access, boiler, air tank, and refrigeration regulations
    • Public Health:
      • Mirror the requirements built into the legislation.
    • Consumer Protection Concerns:
      • Chapter 93A, jurisdiction of state courts.
    • Other Considerations:
      • Neighboring Communities:
         • Don’t benefit and bear costs.
      

BIA Process: The Tribe will have the opportunity to respond and attempt to address the Commonwealth’s concerns.

The Commonwealth's response in whole (a 125-page document) may be found in PDF form here.

Release courtesy of the Commonwealth and the Governor's Office. 

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State opposes Wampanoag Casino in Middleborough

Patrick files comments opposing
Wampanoag casino with feds

Gov. Deval Patrick submitted formal opposition today to a plan by the Mashpee Wampanoag Indian tribe to build a $1 billion casino in Middleborough...
   The administration also said the plan failed to adequately address issues surrounding environmental and consumer protection, zoning, transportation, labor, safety and public health.
   "Because the placement of lands in trust may exempt certain activities on those lands from state and local laws, there are significant jurisdictional concerns at the state level," the letter said.
   The administration also said the tribe’s casino plan doesn’t guarantee strict oversight of gaming activities by the state.
Shawn Hendrick says "all is going well"
   Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Council Chairman Shawn Hendricks said the tribe continues to have "productive discussions" with the administration...  Herald. 
Administration opposes Wampanoag tribe's casino application 

Gov. Deval Patrick is opposing an application by the Mashpee Wampanoag Indian tribe to build a $1 billion casino in Middleborough.  The tribe is applying to the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs to place more than 500 acres of land into trust, a key step in building a casino.

The deadline to comment on the plan is Wednesday.  A person briefed on written comments submitted by Patrick's administration says the tribe has failed to provide the bureau with the criteria required by the bureau's regulations.

The administration also says the plan fails to include safeguards for environmental protection, zoning, transportation, labor, public safety, public health and consumer protection...  Globe. 

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Suit challenges federal designation of Indian land; State could be left out if tribe acts alone; Public hearing on casino land March 4; Easton wants trains to service casino instead

Suit challenges federal designation of Indian land
Bay State AG Martha Coakley has signed on to a lawsuit

We'll take her at her word” - Scott M. Ferson, Mashpee Wampanoag tribe spokesman.
At issue is whether it is unconstitutional for Congress to delegate authority to the secretary of the interior to take land into trust.MIDDLEBORO— The latest challenge to Indian sovereign land could not only jeopardize the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe's proposed casino in Middleboro, but Indian territory across the nation.

Attorney General Martha Coakley has signed on to a lawsuit filed by Rhode Island Gov. Donald L. Carcieri against Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kemp-thorne, who heads the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

“The attorney general felt it was important for the U.S. Supreme Court to clarify the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934,” said Harry Pierre, Coakley's spokesman.

He said Coakley signed on to the suit “for clarification of some language that's up for interpretation”... Enterprise.  
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Public hearing on casino land March 4
Seating to be "first-come, first-seated"

Mashpee opposes tribe
   The town of Mashpee is asking the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs to deny the Mashpee Wampanoag's land-into-trust application, a move that could stall the tribe's plans for a $1 billion casino.  The 27-page document focuses on two main contentions: that the application would allow for gambling in Mashpee and that the town and tribe have not reached an intergovernmental agreement protecting landowners.MIDDLEBORO— The federal Bureau of Indian Affairs will seek public input March 4 on the plan to take land on Precinct Street into a federal trust for the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe.  The doors will open in the auditorium at Middleboro High School an hour before a 6:30 p.m. meeting at 71 East Grove St.

In August the tribe began the process of creating a sovereign nation on 539 acres in Middleboro and 140 acres in Mashpee. The land in Middleboro is planned for a casino, while the Mashpee land is slated for tribal housing, administration and cultural purposes.

A meeting in Mashpee will be held the night after the Middleboro session...  Enterprise.
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Patrick urges vote on casinos before Tribe acts alone
Governor fears state could lose to tribe

Gov. Deval L. Patrick warned yesterday that inaction on his pending legislation to create three resort casinos could result in the establishment of an Indian gaming casino in Middleboro with no revenue stream to the state.  Mr. Patrick said he is pressing the Legislature to hold hearings and vote on his proposals for three commercially licensed casinos. He said continuing delays on the bill could eventually result in the Mashpee Wampanoag Indians setting up a casino outside of his proposals for commercial casinos.

Not only would a casino operating under a federal Indian gaming permit not provide the state with a revenue stream, he said, but the developers would not be required to pay for infrastructure impacts associated with such a large development.  The legislation he has proposed for commercial casinos would require casino developers to pay for all infrastructure impacts, such as those on area roads and sewers...  Telegram. 
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Easton residents railing against trains
Train should go through Middleborough to serve casino employees

EASTON— A proposed South Coast Rail line connecting Fall River and New Bedford to Boston's South Station would work better if the line stays out of Easton, residents said.  On Thursday, a few hundred people turned out at Southeastern Regional Vocational Technical High School for a community engagement forum sponsored by the state Executive Office of Transportation, which is designing the line.

Some of those who spoke said the line should go through Middleboro, where it can better serve the customers and employees of a proposed Mashpee Wampanoag resort casino and other communities that welcome the line.  Other residents said a train could not come through Easton because of the damage it would inflict on the environment and drinking water sources...  Enterprise.  

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State money woes alter reps' minds on casino; Wamps in swamps over turtles

Democratic candidates square off at debate:
Casinos, local taxes and increased local aid in focus

Melrose - The three Democratic candidates for the 32nd Middlesex District state representative seat took questions from the Melrose Free Press, the Wakefield Observer, other newspapers and the public in a formal debate... Free Press editor Carol Brooks Ball noted that, if elected to the legislature, one of the first issues the newly elected state representative would face is Patrick’s proposal to allow three gambling casinos in Massachusetts. She asked each candidate if they would vote in favor of the casinos for the state;  Katherine Clark noted that the state faces a $1.3 billion structural deficit this year and, as seen in Melrose and Wakefield, cities and towns are operating on fiscal 2000 dollars with 2008 costs. She said the state has to consider casinos as part of the revenue picture.
“I didn’t always think that. I personally am not a gambler and thought casinos would not be attractive to Massachusetts,” she said. “It’s regressive taxation, it does come with an increase in crime, and in compulsive gambling.”

What changed her mind on casinos, Clark said, is when the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe in Massachusetts received tribal recognition from the federal government early last year. She saw cases in Florida and Arizona where those states said they wouldn’t look at expanding legalized gambling, yet the federally recognized tribes, by virtue of their status, were able to pursue casinos without the state seeing any of that revenue...  Melrose Free Press.  
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Wildlife plays a big part in casino plans
A turtle here, a cooter there, pretty soon you're talking a billion buck$

The billion-dollar question is whether the casino backers and the tribe can navigate their way through the complicated environmental roadblocks that will be placed in their way.Yesterday, it was the northern red-bellied cooter. Today, it is the eastern box turtle. Tomorrow, it will be some other animal that threatens to scuttle the $1 billion casino resort project planned for Middleboro. If casino backers think opponents will “go gentle into that good night,” they are badly misinformed...

That (state fisheries & wildlife) spokeswoman then pointed out that the eastern box turtle, which is not endangered, but of “special concern” in Massachusetts, has been mapped on the property. That doesn't seem likely to scuttle the project in itself, but DFW spokeswoman Lisa Capone mentioned that there are other wildlife species of concern on the proposed casino site. Whether opponents can find one that rises to the level of endangered is a key question and one that is likely to be addressed at a public environmental hearing on casino plans on March 4...  Enterprise. 

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No turtles on casino site; Upton OKs plan for cell phone tower

Endangered turtle not found on site of planned Middleboro casino

BROCKTON - MIDDLEBORO — The great turtle debate has pulled its head back into its shell before it really started.  On Tuesday, a state environmental official snapped at reports that an endangered turtle is present on the site of the proposed Mashpee Wampanoag casino.

The nothern red-bellied cooter, listed as endangered by both the state and federal government, is nearby, but not on the site, said Lisa Capone, a spokeswoman for the Division of Fisheries & Wildlife.  There are five species of concern found within the area, Capone said, “but only one mapped on the site"...  Enterprise.  
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Correction: Because of incorrect information provided by the state Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, a story in Saturday's City & Region section erroneously said five species of wildlife warranting various levels of protection inhabit 500 acres targeted for a Mashpee Wampanoag tribal casino in Middleborough. Four of the species, including a type of turtle called the Northern red-bellied cooter, are only known to be in the "immediate vicinity" of the site but have not been have verified as living there. One, the Eastern box turtle, has been verified as inhabiting the site. (See 4th correction in the Globe.)  
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Upton OKs plan for cell phone tower

The Planning Board last night approved a cell tower site plan with several conditions, including one that preserves a historically significant American Indian stone landscape...  The issue involving ceremonial stones has garnered the most discussion at recent Planning Board meetings.

At a November meeting, Doug Harris, a deputy tribal historic preservation officer for the Narragansett Indians, requested a survey to see if the proposed development would have any impact on ceremonial stone landscape at the site...  The Wampanoag tribe of Aquinnah (Gay Head) has also contacted Industrial about the project but no representatives from that tribe were at the meeting last night... Milford Daily News. 

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Is turtle issue a casino killer? From 'no dice' to 'let 'em roll' in Middleboro; Shunned Wamps get boost

Turtle issue a casino killer or just bluff?

MIDDLEBORO - A casino foe and an environmental official contend the endangered turtle, the Northern red-bellied cooter, may trump a proposal for a casino in town.  But those hoping a casino locates in town, see the turtle only as a diversion.

UPDATE:
Shunned Wamps voted back in
   The Cape Cod Times reported Monday that members of the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe yesterday voted overwhelmingly to rescind the shunning of four members. There's no word yet, however, on whether the affected members will have their benefits restored.“I know (cooters) are in the Nemasket River,” said Kathleen S. Anderson, chairman of the Massachusetts Fisheries and Wildlife Board's Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Advisory Committee. Anderson said the exact location of endangered species is not disclosed by Mass Wildlife so as to protect the species.

The Nemasket River does not run through the site of the proposed casino. The Northern red-bellied cooter has been listed on the state and federal endangered list since 1980. The turtle is found exclusively in Plymouth County... Brockton Enterprise.
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Casino conflict a safe bet

Boston - Casino supporters and foes are arming for the fight.   Grassroots opponents meet this month in Middleborough to pressure lawmakers not to back Gov. Deval Patrick’s bill to legalize three commercial casinos in Massachusetts.  A regional task force continues to study the impact of a planned billion dollar Indian casino in Middleborough.

Meanwhile, a growing number of legislators are stepping up their efforts to force debate on the governor’s bill over House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi’s resistance.  State Rep. Tom Calter, D-Kingston, says the bill provides revenue to pull the state out of its deep budget hole, protects local communities and strictly regulates casino operators. He points to the Mashpee Wampanoag project in his district, which could be built without any guaranteed benefits to the region...  Patriot Ledger.  
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From 'no dice' to 'let 'em roll' in Middleboro

MIDDLEBORO -  When a real estate firm approached several towns in the region in early 2003 seeking 150 acres or more on behalf of a developer for the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head Aquinnah as a possible site for a casino, Selectman Wayne C. Perkins said unequivocally: No dice.

“There is no way, shape or form. I won't support a casino,” Perkins stated at a public meeting where the issue was discussed in March 2003. He added that a common thread he hears among residents is that they want to keep Middleboro as it is, a rural town...  Brockton Enterprise.  
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Trial ordered on charge of lewdness
Leader of western Wampanoag Nation

A man who says he's the leader of an American Indian tribe testified at his preliminary hearing on an attempted-lewdness charge that the 12-year-old girl he's accused of victimizing was promised to him by her mother in exchange for half a cooler of energy bars.  Dale N. Stevens of Vernal said the agreement was reached while the girl and her family were staying in one of his trailers on land owned by his "tribe" in Uintah County in early 2007.

"That's the way Indians do things ... if they're living under their old ways," the 69-year-old said of the trade. "I became her guardian, put it that way, I became her guardian."  Stevens, who was bound over for trial in 8th District Court on charges of burglary and attempted lewdness involving a child following Thursday's hearing, said he is the chief of the Wampanoag Nation. While the federal government does recognize the Wampanoag Tribe in Massachusetts, it does not recognize Stevens' group, which according to federal court records, was founded in 2003 at an Arby's restaurant in Provo...  Deseret News. 

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Shunned Mashpee Wamps voted back in tribe; Casino fees added to '09 State budget; Wamp Flip-Flobs

Patrick puts casino fees in '09 budget

UPDATE:
Shunned Wamps voted back in
   The Cape Cod Times reported Monday that members of the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe yesterday voted overwhelmingly to rescind the shunning of four members. There's no word yet, however, on whether the affected members will have their benefits restored. Gov. Deval Patrick yesterday proposed using $300 million in casino licensing fees to make up for a decline in Lottery aid to cities and towns and to pay for property tax relief and transportation projects.  Gov. Patrick's spokesman Kyle Sullivan said the governor will propose using casino licensing fees in the next state budget to make up for a projected $124 million decrease in Lottery aid. His plan also calls for casinos to provide $88 million in property tax relief and  $88 million in transportation projects this year, separate from the state budget. 

Gov. Patrick plans to file his version of the budget Wednesday for the 2009 fiscal year, which begins July 1. The House and Senate will propose and debate their own budget plans this spring...  Standard-Times. 
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Reversal of fortune

But in the past year, the two town officials — who remain on the board — changed their stance 180 degrees, embracing a deal and working furiously to bring a Mashpee Wampanoag tribal casino to town.Middleborough - When a real estate firm approached several towns in the region in early 2003 seeking 150 acres or more on behalf of a developer for the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head Aquinnah as a possible site for a casino, Selectman Wayne C. Perkins said unequivocally: No dice.  “There is no way, shape or form. I won’t support a casino,” Perkins stated at a public meeting where the issue was discussed in March 2003. He added that a common thread he hears among residents is that they want to keep Middleboro as it is, a rural town.

  Selectwoman Marsha L. Brunelle staunchly agreed, saying there would be more traffic, and more educational concerns for people who would move into the community, according to meeting minutes from 2003. Brunelle asked for a public discussion because most communities do this before taking a vote, and she felt the residents should have the opportunity to speak.

 Kevin J. Hanna of Cushman & Wakefield had approached the town “in anticipation of legalized gaming in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.” At the time, the Board of Selectmen publicly opposed a casino...  Brockton Enterprise. 

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BIA still waiting for the web; Feds to hold March hearing on tribe’s plans for casino; Bureau to listen to land concerns; Lobbyists; Patrick bonds with labor unions

BIA still waiting for the web
Officials don't even have email

The federal Bureau of Indian Affairs is not connected to the internet. Yes, it’s true, the employees of a major branch of the Department of the Interior—and it is this branch that is responsible for deciding whether the Mashpee will be allowed open a casino on Indian land—cannot so much as Google “Plymouth Rock” from their desks, let alone send an email to the outside world. We think they might be using the Pony Express instead.

Granted, they haven’t been able to login to anything since 2001, but I just found out about this the other day when a BIA official asked me to fax him something, because he didn’t have email. Given how (much more) inefficient this makes the BIA, frankly, I’m amazed this doesn’t get more attention...  Boston Magazine. 
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Feds to hold March public hearing on tribe’s plans for casino

Middleborough - The federal Bureau of Indian Affairs will hold a hearing here regarding the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe’s plans for a casino.

The visit is part of the tribe’s application to take into trust 540 acres on which it wants to build a $1 billion resort casino. In addition to the casino, the site would contain a hotel, restaurants, entertainment venues, convention facilities, a golf course and a water park...  Brockton Enterprise. 
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Mark your calendar for casino plans

We’ve already begun to get an idea about what casinos in Massachusetts will look like. Suffolk Downs has been upfront about the scale they’d like to develop, as has the Mohegan tribe, which recently released some details about their plan for a casino in Palmer.

The hearings will be held the evenings of March 4, in Middleborough High School auditorium, and March 5, in the Mashpee High School auditorium. But it seems that the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe is poised to offer the most detailed plan, by far. By the first week of March—and perhaps sooner—they will have rolled out schematics on a plan for their Middleborough site. Details will include the location, height and size of buildings, as well as where the roadways will run and the locations of any other large footprint items, like golf courses.

According to officials at the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs, the tribe will have to make these plans public in open hearings as part of the environmental review process for their efforts to put their Middleborough land into trust. (This is the process which transfers the land from state to Indian control, thus allowing the tribe to open a casino on it). The hearings will be held the evenings of March 4, in Middleborough High School auditorium, and March 5, in the Mashpee High School auditorium. ... Boston Magazine

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Lakeville man named to Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Council

The newest member of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Council faces the daunting task of helping build a new nation, including the establishment of a judicial system complete with judges, jails and police.

Aaron Tobey, a 15-year Lakeville resident, was elected to the tribal council in December. Before his election, Tobey was a familiar face at local meetings regarding the casino, where he offered to bring a resident's concerns to the tribe. Now Tobey is in a position to fulfill his promise.

The 51-year-old father of two, Tori and Aaron, is the husband of former Taunton resident Helen Reis. He holds a real estate license and works as a mail processing clerk in the Wareham post office. ... Brockton Enterprise

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Bureau to listen to land concerns

The Bureau of Indian Affairs has scheduled a March 4 meeting so the public can voice any environmental concerns about the Precinct Street land under consideration for a reservation and casino.

Gary Garrison, a spokesperson for the BIA, said the meeting is restricted to environmental issues and is part of an environmental assessment required for taking land into trust.

The 17-community Regional Casino Task Force, which meets in Lakeville, has already compiled its environmental concerns in an impact statement. The group wants the tribe to comply with all state and local bylaws regarding wetlands, ponds, streams, storm water, aquifer protection and endangered and threatened species. ... Brockton Enterprise

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Casino lobbyists score big, pushing clients' interests
Records show a jump in fees paid by gambling interests

Although the fortunes of Governor Deval Patrick's proposal to license three resort casinos in Massachusetts remain uncertain, the plan has been a sure bet for lobbyists trying to persuade state officials and lawmakers of its merits.

Fees reported by lobbyists representing gambling interests skyrocketed to $1.2 million in 2007, a flood of money that is expected to continue rising in 2008 as the Beacon Hill debate continues to heat up. The figures, reported in filings yesterday to Secretary of State William F. Galvin, are 48 percent more than in 2006 and 58 percent more than in 2005.

All told, 40 lobbyists from 25 companies registered to lobby on casino issues last year, according to the records. ... Boston Globe

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Patrick bonds with labor unions over casino

Gov. Deval Patrick, facing skeptical House leaders on his proposal for three casinos, is reaching out to a more friendly audience: labor unions that strongly back his plan.

Gov. Patrick and the members of his "development cabinet" are scheduled to appear at the IBEW Local 103 hall in Dorchester this afternoon to discuss his plan to license three commercial casinos.

"It's part of the ongoing dialogue regarding the governor's resort casino legislation, the jobs and the economic development that it will bring to the commonwealth, and the importance of the workforce in the equation," said Kofi Jones, a spokeswoman for the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development. ... SouthCoastToday.com

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