Town raises demands on casino - The Boston Globe

MIDDLEBOROUGH -- Local officials, facing criticism from residents that their tentative deal with the Mashpee Wampanoag Indian tribe was vague and failed to bring enough money to town coffers, are now demanding that the tribe pay hundreds of millions of dollars to locate a casino in this sprawling municipality.

The revised proposal in Middleborough would require the tribe, which is exempt from local taxes due to its sovereign status, to pay the equivalent of property, hotel and meal, and motor vehicle excise taxes, all in exchange for the town's support in seeking state and federal approval for the casino.

The revised proposal lists the following costs to be paid by the tribe: $172 million for road improvements, $26 million for electrical upgrades, $10 million in gas system expansion, $22.5 million for water service and satellite wells, $26.3 million for waste- water system improvements, and $8 million to $10 million for a new police station.

The town is also demanding that the tribe underwrite the cost of a new police cruiser, two new ambulances, four additional police officers, plus additional staffing in various town departments. Officials would also require the tribe to compensate any abutters who can prove the casino has hurt their property values. And they want a $40,000 contribution to a gambling addiction treatment facility, along with yearly payments of $20,000.

read more | digg story

Planners skeptical of casino - The Boston Globe

Planners in Southeastern Massachusetts agree that widening Route 44, and eliminating the troublesome Middleborough rotary, would vastly improve traffic flow. But they also say the $150 million that the Mashpee Wampanoags have offered to sink into those improvements if they build a casino in Middleborough would fall far short of what is needed.

read more | digg story

Seneca Nation opens controversial off-reservation casino in temporary facility; for now

7.03.07


SENECAS OPEN TEMPORARY CASINO
IN COBBLESTONE DISTRICT

By Sharon Linstedt
News Staff Reporter

The Seneca Nation of Indians made a surprise opening of its temporary casino in Buffalo's Cobblestone District shortly after 8 this morning, acting without authority from a federal judge who had temporarily halted the controversial gambling site.

The small blue building, marked "CASINO" in understated lettering on its exterior, came alive with the blinking and beeping of some 119 slot machines, marking a moment the Senecas have dreamed of since 2002.

"I'm elated over this day," said Barry E. Snyder Sr., chairman of Seneca Gaming Corp. "This casino is maybe small, but it's a big step for what we want to do in the City of Buffalo."

Seneca Nation Treasurer Kevin Seneca made the first official recorded bet shortly after 8 a.m., dropping a penny into a slot machine.

The Senecas say they expect that casino opponents will immediately move to close the casino.

"I expect they were ready for this day," said Barry Brandon,... (Complete Story)

Mashpee Tribe controls or pursues options to acquire 525 acres in Town for billion dollar casino resort

Investors (Herb Strather) for the Mashpee Wampanoag Indian tribe purchased 125 acres of town land at a public auction on April 27. The Wampanoags have options to purchase another 200 contiguous acres and have approached another abutting land owner about a 200-acre tract.

The following Map has been distributed by the Town of Middleborough and was printed in the Boston Globe to demonstrate circumstances surrounding a proposaed casino site:.

Michael Malik, a casino syndicator, has never been approved for gaming license

Michael J. Malik, Sr., failed to qualify for a gaming license with the Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB) in 1999 and was reportedly forced to transfer (or sell) his original shares in the MotorCity Casino venture to Marian Ilitch (details never disclosed).

Susbsequently, a venture owned/controlled by Michael J. Malik, Paradice Hunt Club LLC, submitted a vendor licensing exception application to the MGCB but no exemption appears to have been granted.

Malik, a recognized casino syndicator, is not known to have been granted a gambling license by any entity. Marian Ilitch has been licensed by the MGCB.

Here's a check list provided by the National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC) that's used in the investigation of licensing determinations for Indian casino management contracts it must approve.

It 's reported that Malik and Ilitch have agreements with the Shinnecock Indian Nation, Bay Mills Indian Community, Big Lagoon Rancheria and Los Coyotes Band of Cahuilla and Cupeno Indians to not only develop any future casinos but also provide management services in the years immediately following opening of any gaming facilities established by these tribes.

After two years, Sen. Roy Ashburn only legislative advocate for ill-conceived Barstow Compacts

6.30.07

Ashburn boosts casino project

FROM STAFF REPORTS
Ashburn pushes Barstow casino hearing

During debate about unrelated casino compacts on the state Senate floor on Thursday, June 28, Senator Roy Ashburn, R-Bakersfield, stood up to address the stalled Big Lagoon-Los Coyotes Barstow casino project.

“There are Native Americans in two parts of California that seem to be invisible, the Los Coyotes members and the members of the Big Lagoon tribe,” Ashburn said, according to a press release. “They have a compact that they negotiated with the Governor, yet we don’t even have a hearing. These are Native Americans who are receiving none of the benefits for a proposed casino that is located in probably the most ideal location in all of California for a casino.”

The compacts have been held up in Senate committees for months. Environmental groups worry that further delay will prompt the Big Lagoon tribe to begin construction of a casino on their reservation, an environmentally fragile area in northern California.

http://www.desertdispatch.com/news/casino_904___article.html/report_city.html

---

Click on picture or link below to hear CA State Senator Roy Ashburn's impassioned, ill-informed comments.

As you're listening, recall that, despite Ashburn's apparent memory loss at the time he made these remarks, both the Senate and Assembly Governmental Organization committees did hold hearings on the Barwest Compacts in 2006:

• the Senate Committee chose politely "no further action,"


• the Assembly Committee voted outright to reject the Compacts and only out of standard courtesy did Chairman Jerome Horton agreed to leave the door open for reconsideration (certainly Horton assumed, as would normally be the case, that if they were to return for a second round they would somehow be modified or renegotiated to address concerns voiced by legislators and opponents and of course they have not).
  
  After two years Roy Ashburn was the only person to rise in support of the ill-conceived Barstow Compacts.

Senator Ashburn urges action on the Barstow Gaming compacts that were previously rejected in the Assembly during Senate Floor debate, June 28th (1.4mb, mp3)

Ilitch Spokesman confirmed Wheat, Brown & Rossetti were on board for lobbying and consultation

as pubished 10.20.04 in the Desert Dispatch:

"...There are no guarantees that the state or federal government will approve the casino, but BarWest has an impressive team, including Alan Wheat, a former congressman from Kansas; Mike Rossetti, formerly a top aide to Interior Secretary Gale Norton; and Willie Brown, former mayor of San Francisco.

"Shields said

• Wheat is on board as a federal lobbyist,


• Brown is doing state lobbying and


• Rosetti, an attorney, is a consultant. Shields said Rosetti is an asset partly because he's well-respected at the Interior Department..."

1. Wheat Government Relations has been retained by Barwest LLC as well as other Michael Malik/Marian Ilitch affiliates (Gateway Casino Resorts LLC, Blue Water Resorts LLC) and tribal partners (Little River Band of Ottawa Indians, Bay Mills Indian Community, Shinnecock Indian Nation). From 2002-2006 those entities paid Wheat Government Relations at least $1.4 million.
   


2. While Barwest spokesman Tom Shields indicated Willie L. Brown, Jr. was a lobbyist for Barwest LLC and the Los Coyotes Band of Indians, Brown was never registered as their lobbyist with the California Secretary of State as would be required.
   


3. Michael Rossetti's status as a "Consultant" to the Detroit casino syndicators, while employed at a law firm (Akin Gump) that also is one of the top three lobbying firms on Capitol Hill, is suspect. Although the Detroit Team has retained other Akin Gump attorneys who are not registered as their lobbyists either. Rossetti's post Interior role with the Seneca Nation which has come into question is similar to his role with Barwest and the Los Coyotes Band of Indians, although Rossetti earlier had intervened on the Seneca Nation's behalf while still at Interior.

Members of Congress aren't the only elected officials flying around in the private aircraft of Detroit casino syndicators

It seems Members of Congress like former Rep. Richard Pombo and Alaska's Rep. Don Young aren't the only elected officials Michael Malik and Marian Ilitch are shuttling around on their private or chartered jets...

as published 6.14.05 in the Desert Dispatch, a letter to the editor from Patrick Aleman, Barstow:

"...The proposal might have stalled but these players, including Mayor Dale and Ron Rector, have been "going places," for sure. In documents available online and through public records requests, and after listening to the tangled web woven by the key players in public reports and testimony, Mayor Dale and Ron Rector have been getting out of Barstow in high style.

"In fact, Dale and Rector have been shuttling back and forth to San Francisco and elsewhere, sometimes in a private Lear Jet that takes off from Palm Springs, enjoying fancy food, and getting up close and personal experiences with privileges, all paid for or provided as gifts from BarWest. They're getting a taste of the privilege normally afforded to wealthy owners of major sports franchises, or those people who own major theaters, concert halls, or arenas that host major stars or musicians. The closest glimpse most of us here in Barstow will ever get of that privilege is what we might see when we're channel surfing and come across reruns of TV's "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous."

"I have raised questions about things like free trips on private Lear Jets and my questions go ignored by the mayor and senior staff. When I inquire about how many visits Mr. Rector has paid to the Detroit area, or if any of his expenses were reimbursed or paid for by BarWest or if he was taken out on the town or received tickets to sporting events or concerts or given VIP favors at the local casino, Rector gets red in the face, fuming red, and I get ignored. Rector carefully implies he is in Michigan on family trips and nothing more. The mayor nor any other official will confirm whether or not they've been hosted in Detroit.

"Most offensive is the arrogance Dale and Rector exhibit when they fail to report these gifts or any others they might have received from these millionaires or their associates to the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) as required by law.

"It was the discovery of the random memo to file that pointed to one of the Lear Jet trips. The purpose: BarWest insisted the pair go along on the field trip to San Francisco to help convince former assembly speaker Willie Brown to accept Barwest's lucrative lobbing contract. Since when did Willie Brown need to be "convinced" to take anyone's money? Or worse yet, help me with the connection on just how Mayor Dale, a local GOP big-wig, was going to have any influence over fat-cat big deal Democrat Willie Brown. Oddly enough, there are no other records of expenses from that entire trip for the usual things like mileage reimbursements down to the Palm Springs airport and back, airport parking, dining, taxi or limousine service -- nothing accept the one random memo to file I stumbled upon."

you may want to review these posts:

• Casino Developer who fronted travel & entertainment costs for Rep. Don Young (R-AK) did the same for former Rep. Richard Pombo (R-CA)
• Rep. Young (R-AK) flying around in Detroit Casino Developers' private jet

SF Chronicle editors warned Willie Brown commands a high price and leaves little paper trail

posted at sfgate.com 4.08.04 and previously published as an editorial in the San Francisco Chronicle:

EDITORIAL

Bright lights, small city

IT SEEMS only natural that Willie Brown, the charismatic, erudite former mayor of San Francisco would be attracted to the bright lights of a growing city. Now he has found a new town in which to make his mark -- booming Barstow.

Brown, who during his career has shown a flair for high-level deal-making, has been hired as a lobbyist by the Los Coyotes Band of Cahuilla and Cupeo Indians in San Diego and the BarWest development company to help them bring an Indian casino to the thirsty desert town between Los Angeles and Las Vegas. It's a pact that shouldn't surprise anyone who has followed Brown's headline- grabbing career -- the only paper trail he leaves behind is one lined with money. [NOTE: Brown never registered as a Barwest or Los Coyotes lobbyist]

The Los Coyotes Indians are one of the scores of tribes in California trying to cash in on the state's wildly expanding gambling industry. With gaming interests trying to turn every piece of "tribal'' land into 24-hour- slot-machine sanctuaries, it was only a matter of time before Barstow's tribes saw a dice-rich oasis in their corner of the desert.

Who better to deliver the goods than a big-city gambler such as Willie? If the desert dwellers in Barstow haven't the foggiest notion of how Brown operates, they'll soon realize that this is one deal they shouldn't bet against.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2004/04/08/EDGGB61ELI1.DTL

(This article appeared on page B - 8 of the San Francisco Chronicle )

What was Willie Brown's role with Barwest's original Barstow casino proposal?

In a reference to Willie L. Brown, Jr., the former Speaker of the California Assembly and later Mayor of San Francisco, the Berkley Daily Planet posted the following on 11.16.04:

"Earlier this year, Brown has surfaced as a lobbyist for BarWest LLC, which is developing plans for a casino in the Barstow area with the Los Coyotes Band of the Cahuilla and Cupeno peoples.

"The casino plan is being floated by Marina Ilitch, who with her spouse owns the Little Caesars Enterprises (Little Caesars Pizza), the Detroit Redwings hockey team and a quarter-interest in the MotorCity Casino in Detroit."

Willie L. Brown, Jr. never registered as a lobbyist for Barwest LLC nor the Los Coyotes Band of Cahuilla and Cupeno Indians.

Plans for a Los Coyotes Indian Casino in Barstow were rejected by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in March 2004. Ilitch was reportedly encouraged by some in the Governor's office to consider talks reagarding a Barstow casino with a northern California tribe, the Big Lagoon Rancheria Indians.

Chronicle columnists confirmed Barwest had hired Willie Brown as an advocate in Sacramento

4.07.04

COLUMN: Matier & Ross

Gamblin' man: Willie Brown has long had a fascination with gambling, and his latest bet is with the Los Coyotes Band of Cahuilla and Cupeno Indians of San Diego County and Detroit-based BarWest development.

The two groups have hired the former San Francisco mayor to help pave the way for an off-reservation Indian casino they're planning to build in Barstow (San Bernardino County), of all places.

"Basically, Brown was retained to help us through the state government process, and that includes working with the governor's office and the Legislature,'' said Tom Shields, spokesman for BarWest.

"Obviously, he is one of the most well-known figures in state government, and he understands the process and can help guide us through it,'' Shields said.

And he's not the only star in the mix -- one of BarWest's partners is Marian Ilitch, wife of Mike Ilitch, owner of the Little Caesars pizza chain, the Detroit Tigers and the Detroit Red Wings.

The Los Coyotes Band is one of a number of tribes negotiating with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger for compacts that would allow them to operate as many as 2,000 slot machines per casino in exchange for the state getting a slice of the revenue.

Incidentally, if you're wondering why a San Diego-based tribe wants to put a casino in Barstow:

"It's halfway between Los Angeles and Las Vegas,'' Shields said. “We figured it's the perfect location.''

Brown declined to provide specifics about his new work because of attorney-client privilege, but said, "I'm a lawyer back practicing law, and I have a lot of clients . . . and I'm earning an honest living.''

Questions surfacing again about former DOI official turned lobbyist Michael Rossetti

NOTE: the Detroit-based team behind casino syndicators Michael J. Malik and Mrs. Marian Ilitch have previously boasted that former Interior Department official Michael G. Rossetti was a lobbyist for their projects as well although there are no registrations or disclosures to suggest Rossetti lobbied officially for their interests. The Detroit crew has also boasted of retaining Akins Gump expertise but again that firm has never registered as a lobbyists for any Malik/Ilitch affiliates familiar to TVT.

as posted 7.02.07 at indianz.com:

Seneca Nation hired DOI official who fought for casino

An Interior Department official who overruled objections to the Seneca Nation's off-reservation casino in Buffalo, New York, was hired by the tribe as its lobbyist.

Michael G. Rossetti served as counselor to former Secretary Gale Norton. He had authority over Indian gaming matters and led the fight to approve the Seneca casino despite objections from the Bureau of Indian Affairs, The Buffalo News reported.

George Skibine and Paula Hart of the BIA's Office of Indian Gaming Management expressed concerns that the land to be used for the off-reservation casino did not quality for a casino. The site was taken into trust after 1988 but the tribe cited the land claim exception in Section 20 of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.

The BIA also had concerns about the tribe's gaming compact. But in both instances, Rossetti and another Interior lawyer named Edith Blackwell overruled the agency, the paper said.

Rossetti left the department to work for Akin Gump, which was the tribe's lobbying firm. He later told the Senate Indian Affairs Committee that former Interior deputy secretary J. Steven Griles intervened in a gaming matter at the behest of convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

Griles' responses to the committee led to his guilty plea in the Abramoff scandal. He was sentenced to serve 10 months in prison.

Get the Story: Officials questioned Seneca’s practices (The Buffalo News 7/1)

http://www.indianz.com/IndianGaming/2007/003710.asp

LETTER: Who would really benefit from Barstow casino project?

7.02.07

Letters to the editor (as published and posted at DesertDispatch.com)

Reference: Casino Update article

We all know that the majority of the citizens want the Indian Casinos in our backyard. The hand-full of people who still disagree with it developing have been drowned out by the business community and the elected officials. The business community sees personal profits and the elected officials, probably see some personal profit as well.

The “Casino Update” article appearing in the paper (6-28-07) is a sad display of desperation. What a pathetic dramatization of poverty to sanction panhandling. Dragging one’s old home to the steps of the State Capitol is truly sad. It is a real shame that family and many more on and off reservations have and continue to live in substandard conditions. I hope the legislators see this dismal display as begging. The spokesman, Tom Shields, is quoted as saying the tribe has been “left by the wayside”, and “The Barstow Project would provide a revenue stream and path to self-sufficiency.” “They’re really looking for an opportunity just to take care of their own.”

Now what part of any of those statements suggest taking care of the citizens of Barstow who are living in shanty conditions? What part of the comments speaks out about just how wholesome this is for the moral fiber of the community. It doesn’t, it simply shows a self-centered postured by the tribe of saying this is owed them. Draining money from other people for self gain under some loose statement that they can’t make it where they are. They need our land for no purpose than to make the “fat-cats” fatter.

The casinos is more than just an issue for the citizens of Barstow, it should be of concern to all of those who live in the “Greater” Barstow area. Remember it has never been put on a ballot in simple language for the “greater” population to vote on. Just think approval of the casino in Barstow keeps it out of the tribe’s backyard so they don’t have to deal with the trash, it’s Barstow’s problem.

Ron Paddack

Barstow

http://www.desertdispatch.com/opinion/barstow_902___article.html/self_citizens.html

You may want to read these additional posts or click on the "labels" below for further information:

• Political blog suggests tribe's Sacramento PR stunt may be last ditch effort
• Tribe plays along with yet another Sacramento PR stunt hatched by its Detroit Developer
• Cahuilla traditional territory was south of the San Bernardino Mountains
• Los Coyotes Band of Cahuilla and Cupeno Indians makes its home on the southernmost of Cahuilla Reservations
• BIA's last official public accounting of Pending Gaming Applications
• EDITORIAL: Regardless of extensions, casino plan for Barstow is bad policy and poor precedent
• Governor has been led to believe tribe made sacrifices in agreeing to share its previously authorized casino site
• Schwarzenegger issues press release, documents on gaming compact extensions

Why would attorney for Tribe's Port Huron casino developer be acquiring property up north in Charlotte Beach?

The Bay Mills Indian Community attempts to exploit a land claim over 200 acres in a remote subdivision east of Barbeau on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Although not designated as such on maps today, the subdivision is known as “Charlotte Beach.” In exchange for dropping its claims on the Charlotte Beach subdivision lands, the tribe wants the right to develop an off-reservation casino in Port Huron, more than 300 miles from its reservation lands.

It has been reported that the looming land claims have negatively affected the property values and financing options of those private individuals who hold title on the property today making it a buyers market in Charlotte Beach.

Detroit casino syndicators headed up by Michael J. Malik, Sr., have been bankrolling and managing the drive for a Bay Mills off-reservation casino for a decade or more.

In 2002, an attorney who handles most of Malik’s personal business deals exclusively, William Serwer, formed CB Property Investments, LLC. Presumably “CB” is an abbreviation for “Charlotte Beach” because as it turns out CB Investment Properties, LLC, owns at least two parcels in the Charlotte Beach subdivision:

• Parcel #0023250260000


• Parcel #0023250730000

Both are noted at this address: 3915 S 1 Cottage Rd., Barbeau, MI 49710. It’s unclear when the group represented by Malik’s attorney acquired the properties.

In 2004 Malik’s attorney also set up MJM Charlotte Beach, LLC. Presumably “MJM” stands for Michael J. Malik. Serwer has set up numerous “MJM” entities over the years to represent Malik’s financial interests in other related ventures and real estate deals.

Why would Malik or his attorney wish to acquire property in Charlotte Beach on the eastern shores of the Upper Peninsula? The Bay Mills Tribe has said they aren’t interested in taking the land away from those who live there now.

Is it simply a case of buying depressed properties confident that their value will increase when a deal is finally struck? In which case aren’t they helping to drive prices down by perpetuating claims others contend have already been tossed out in court?

Is there some hidden natural resource? Perhaps they believe at some point the government will be forced to acquire the lands from private property owners?

These questions and more deserve answers.

At the very least such investments should be red flags for everyone involved from Charlotte Beach to Capitol Hill.

These entities are believed to be controlled or affiliated with Michael J. Malik, Sr. and related to the Bay Mills Indian Tribe, Charlotte Beach subdivision and/or proposed Port Huron Casino and Resort on the site of the current Thomas Edison Inn:

CB Property Investments, LLC
CB Property Holdings, Inc.
MJM Charlotte Beach, LLC
MJM Bay Mills, LLC
MJM Blue Water Investors, LLC
MJM Blue Water, L.L.C.
Blue Water Resorts, L.L.C.
Blue Water Resorts Manager, Inc.

You may also want to review these posts or click on the "labels" below for related details:

• Michigan Courts tossed out Bay Mills tribe's land claims to Charlotte Beach subdivision
• Why would attorney for Tribe's Port Huron casino developer be acquiring property up north in Charlotte Beach?
• Was it a law firm that first proposed Charlotte Beach land claims idea?
• Senators told Attorney proposed exploiting Charlotte Beach land claim not tribe
• Tribesman recognized Bush administrations opposition to off-reservation gaming
• Is the Bay Mills Tribe using Charlotte Beach land claims solely to leverage developer's off-reservation casino plans?
• Tribe hoped language slipped into 2004 Transportation Bill would grant approvals for Port Huron casino
• UPDATED: Tribal leader admits lobbyists were trying to sneak casino plans through Congress without alerting opposition
• Gaming Tribe seeks to diversify while developer still pushing off-reservation casino

Senators told Attorney proposed exploiting Charlotte Beach land claim not tribe

from testimony presented to the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs:

"The Charlotte Beach claim did not originate with Bay Mills. It was the product of a Detroit area attorney who developed it specifically as a vehicle to obtain an IGRA casino. This attorney approached the Sault Tribe first with the claim, but we turned him down. He then took the claim to Bay Mills, who joined him up on his scheme. This attorney, Robert Golden, then represented Bay Mills in both court cases. The goal never was to recover the Charlotte Beach lands."

Chairman
Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians
10/10/02

You may want to review these posts or click on the "labels" below:

• Michigan Courts tossed out Bay Mills tribe's land claims to Charlotte Beach subdivision
• Was it a law firm that first proposed Charlotte Beach land claims idea?
• Is the Bay Mills Tribe using Charlotte Beach land claims solely to leverage developer's off-reservation casino plans?
• The Bay Mills Land Claims Case Was a Scam from the Start
• Why would attorney for Tribe's Port Huron casino developer be acquiring property up north in Charlotte Beach?
• Is the Bay Mills Tribe using Charlotte Beach land claims solely to leverage developer's off-reservation casino plans?
• Tribe hoped language slipped into 2004 Transportation Bill would grant approvals for Port Huron casino
• UPDATED: Tribal leader admits lobbyists were trying to sneak casino plans through Congress without alerting opposition