Saturday, January 07, 2012

Ex-Gov. Waihee names former Hawaiian Affairs CEO to head Native Roll Commission








1.06.2012

HONOLULU — The former chief executive officer of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs has been appointed executive director of a commission responsible for preparing and maintaining a roll of qualified Native Hawaiians interested in participating in their own government.

Commission Chair and former Gov. John Waihee said Thursday Clyde Namuo's appointment was effective at the beginning of the year.

Namuo will be responsible for overseeing daily operations of the roll commission. He'll be serving without pay.

The commission was established by the 2011 Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Neil Abercrombie.

Namuo retired at the end of last year after a decade of serving as OHA's top officer.

Friday, January 06, 2012

Shinnecock casino plans up in the air following Gov. Cuomo's speech; Local support wavering


1.05.2012

Leaders of the Shinnecock Indian Nation huddled Thursday to consider their next steps after Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced a $4 billion plan to build a convention center at Aqueduct Racetrack, a move that threatens the tribe's planned casino at Belmont Park.

Randy King, chairman of the Shinnecock trustees, said the tribe's gaming authority was meeting with tribal trustees on the Southampton reservation to consider the implications of Cuomo's State of the State message, in which he touted the convention center as well as his plan to amend the constitution to legalize non-Indian gaming in the state. Genting New York, a Malaysian company that operates a racino at Aqueduct, wants to have a full casino there.

"What everyone needs to realize is that we made a commitment to local, state and federal officials to move to Belmont" in lieu of a plan to open a casino on tribal land in the Hamptons, King said.

Meanwhile, support for the tribe's Elmont plan, first heralded as an "ideal location" last May by Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano, was wavering. "I'd pretty much say a casino is dead at Belmont," said Joe Rizza, a spokesman for state Sen. Jack Martins (R-Mineola), who has been a vocal supporter of the tribe's plans.

One Suffolk County legislator Thursday urged the tribe to instead turn its attention to that county, and tribal leaders made plans to meet with newly installed Suffolk Executive Steve Bellone.

"We certainly want to see the tribe succeed, and we can use more economic development in Suffolk County," said Jon Schneider, deputy county executive for intergovernmental affairs.

Scott Reif, a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos (R-Rockville Centre), declined to discuss the Belmont casino, which the majority leader previously supported, but said Skelos "will continue to do everything he can to achieve the best possible plan for developing Belmont, so we can create good jobs and help the surrounding communities."

Mangano was noncommital Thursday. "The county executive has made arrangements with the governor to better understand his plan and its effect on Belmont," Mangano spokesman Brian Nevin said.

The tribe also appeared to be facing a prospective opponent in Hempstead Supervisor Kate Murray, who had appeared onstage with Mangano when Belmont was announced.

In a publicly released letter to a Floral Park resident dated Dec. 29, Murray said she had "profound concerns" with Nassau's "stated intention" for a Belmont casino.

Her spokesman, Michael Deery, said, "If you are asking whether the supervisor supports [a casino] . . . that faces the doors of Floral Park High School, the answer would be no, she doesn't support that."He said any such plan "has to have the support of all the communities that surround the park, and that would include Floral Park."

But King isn't giving up on Belmont. "We hope the governor takes the same leadership position he has taken with the commercialized gaming community and sits down with the Shinnecock Nation to finally resolve the gaming vision we have," he said.

Suffolk Legis. Wayne Horsley (D-Babylon), who heads a Suffolk task force on gaming, urged the tribe to move ahead quickly with a project in Suffolk. "Suffolk is the Shinnecocks' opportunity," he said.

The tribe recently voted to reject gaming contracts with its financial backer Gateway Casino Resorts. It must finalize those, or find a new developer, before it works out a state gaming compact with Cuomo."I'm confident we can work through those issues with Gateway," King said.

Thursday, January 05, 2012

Gov. Cuomo's plan could "effectively kill" Gateway's vision for Belmont Racetrack casino



1.04.2012

by TED PHILLIPS

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's plan to build the nation's largest convention center and possibly a casino at Aqueduct Racetrack would "effectively kill" plans for a Shinnecock Indian casino at Belmont Park, a Long Island state senator said Wednesday.

Cuomo's emphasis on Aqueduct, in nearby Ozone Park, Queens, "would make it less likely that a casino would be viable at Belmont, but certainly opens up all kinds of possibilities for redevelopment," said Sen. Jack Martins (R-Mineola), who has pushed for a casino or other development at Belmont...

Randy King, chairman of the Shinnecock tribal trustees, said the tribe "hopes and expects" that Cuomo's gaming plans include Indian casinos, including those the tribe hopes to build at Belmont and in Yaphank.

King said casinos at Belmont Park, in Elmont, and Aqueduct could benefit each other. "The synergies can play off each other and work, so that there's room for more than one casino," King said. "As the governor is moving to the next level in his plan for the state, we're more than ready to move to the next level ourselves..." (Complete Story)

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Ilitch has backed loosing sports teams and pizza, but casinos in Detroit? Forbes.com 10.09.06 ● Marian Ilitch #1 on "25 Most Powerful People" to Watch 2006” global gaming business o1.oo.o5 ● My Kingdom for a Casino Forbes 05.08.06 ● Big Lagoon’s casino dream awakens north coast journal 07.28.05 ● Shinnecocks launch legal claim to Hamptons land newsday.com 06.16.05 ● Ilitch Plans to Expand Casino Empire RGTonline.com 07.05.05 ● Ilitch outbids partners MichiganDaily.com 04.14.05 ● Ilitch enmeshed in NY casino dispute detnews.com 03.20.05 ● Marian Ilitch, high roller freep.com 03.20.05 ● MGM Mirage to Decide on Offer for Casino in Detroit rgtonline.com 04.16.05 ● Secret deal for MotorCity alleged freep.com 02.15.05 ● Los Coyotes get new developer desertdispatch.com 02.08.05 Detroit casino figure to finance Barstow project LasVegasSun.com 07.07.03 ● Indian Band trying to put casino in Barstow signonSanDiego.com 06.04.03 Pizza matriarch takes on casino roles detnews.com 10.23.02 ● Vanderbilt gets short straw in negotiations for a casino Lansing Journal 10.06.02 ● Indians aim to drive family from tribe in vicious dispute san diego union tribune 04.09.00 ●Malik owns 2000 Michigan Quarter Horse of the Year Michigan.gov 01.01.00 ● Detroit Team to run Michigan’s newest Indian casino detnews.com 05.23.99 Tiger ties tangle Marian Ilitch detnews.com 04.29.99 ● Three investors must sell their Detroit casino interests gamblingmagazine.com 04.25.99 ● Partners’ cash revived election; They say money was crucial to Prop-E detnews.com 04.25.99 Investors have troubled histories las vegas review journal 04.27.99 ● Investor served probation for domestic assault on 12 year old boy detnews.com 04.25.99 Can a pair win a jackpot?: local men hope to... crainsdetroit.com 03.17.97

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