MIDDLEBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Voters overwhelmingly endorsed a deal with an American Indian tribe Saturday that could bring casino gambling to the state and millions of dollars to the struggling, rural community.
Residents gathered at a quintessential rural New England event, the Town Meeting, and voted 2,387 to 1,335 in favor of the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe's $1 billion casino in this town of about 20,000.
In exchange, the town would receive $250 million in infrastructure improvements and an estimated $11 million in annual payments, among other benefits.
Significant hurdles remain, however. The tribe, which officially received federal recognition in May after more than three decades of fighting for it, still needs state and federal approval for the casino.
Saturday's vote came after about 2½ hours of debate on an athletic field behind the high school where residents gathered for the historic Town Meeting. Residents carted in lawn chairs, food and umbrellas.
FIND MORE STORIES IN: Residents | American Indian | Wampanoag
Casino advocates argued it was a lucrative deal and a tremendous opportunity for the struggling town. Opponents said the deal wasn't generous enough and was reached without sufficient public input.
Michelle Holden, 45, planned to reluctantly vote for a casino deal she called inevitable — the tribe owns the necessary land and can build so long as it secures state and federal approval, she said.
The tribe has bought 125 acres of town land, has an option to buy another 200 contiguous acres and has approached another landowner about a 200-acre abutting tract.
If nothing else, Holden hoped the extra revenue could help the town restore services it previously cut, such as freshman sports for her 16-year-old son.
"I don't really want the casinos here, but it's coming," she said. "We might as well benefit."
Russ Burns, 67, said the tribe deserves a casino because tribe has suffered for centuries.
Before the Colonial era, it thrived along the Nemasket River, which winds through town. The tribe's presence dwindled after King Philip's War, a 17th-century conflict that pitted the allies of a Wampanoag chief against Colonial authorities across New England.
"We took everything," said Burns, who is white. "Now they want to make a couple of dollars. We're going to say you can't do that, either?"
Pat Harnett, 52, said she intended to support the casino proposal until driving to Connecticut on Friday to speak with about a dozen people who live and work near the Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods tribal casinos.
Harnett said that a waitress spoke about a gambling addiction that wrecked her marriage and that others warned that casinos bring jobs, but not always for local residents.
"It's just too rushed," Harnett said.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-07-28-mass-casino_N.htm
Residents gathered at a quintessential rural New England event, the Town Meeting, and voted 2,387 to 1,335 in favor of the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe's $1 billion casino in this town of about 20,000.
In exchange, the town would receive $250 million in infrastructure improvements and an estimated $11 million in annual payments, among other benefits.
Significant hurdles remain, however. The tribe, which officially received federal recognition in May after more than three decades of fighting for it, still needs state and federal approval for the casino.
Saturday's vote came after about 2½ hours of debate on an athletic field behind the high school where residents gathered for the historic Town Meeting. Residents carted in lawn chairs, food and umbrellas.
FIND MORE STORIES IN: Residents | American Indian | Wampanoag
Casino advocates argued it was a lucrative deal and a tremendous opportunity for the struggling town. Opponents said the deal wasn't generous enough and was reached without sufficient public input.
Michelle Holden, 45, planned to reluctantly vote for a casino deal she called inevitable — the tribe owns the necessary land and can build so long as it secures state and federal approval, she said.
The tribe has bought 125 acres of town land, has an option to buy another 200 contiguous acres and has approached another landowner about a 200-acre abutting tract.
If nothing else, Holden hoped the extra revenue could help the town restore services it previously cut, such as freshman sports for her 16-year-old son.
"I don't really want the casinos here, but it's coming," she said. "We might as well benefit."
Russ Burns, 67, said the tribe deserves a casino because tribe has suffered for centuries.
Before the Colonial era, it thrived along the Nemasket River, which winds through town. The tribe's presence dwindled after King Philip's War, a 17th-century conflict that pitted the allies of a Wampanoag chief against Colonial authorities across New England.
"We took everything," said Burns, who is white. "Now they want to make a couple of dollars. We're going to say you can't do that, either?"
Pat Harnett, 52, said she intended to support the casino proposal until driving to Connecticut on Friday to speak with about a dozen people who live and work near the Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods tribal casinos.
Harnett said that a waitress spoke about a gambling addiction that wrecked her marriage and that others warned that casinos bring jobs, but not always for local residents.
"It's just too rushed," Harnett said.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-07-28-mass-casino_N.htm
