WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN
Part I

I have represented the Penobscot Nation in the Maine State Legislature for a total of almost nine years. During those nine years the Penobscot Nation has struggled to gain economic self-sufficiency but has been ignored or even thwarted by the State at every turn. The State was embarrassed about their economic track record when dealing with or not dealing with tribal economic development. After the land claims settlement act the State has virtually ignored us when economic development planning and strategizing committees and task forces have been formed.

The Maine Tribes have been non-existent to the economic picture or the economic engine of this State. We have proposed lucrative projects to the State and have been shot down rather dramatically. The most lucrative proposal and far reaching was the casino project we offered to the State.

The project would have created a resort casino in Southern Maine that would have created ten thousand good paying jobs in Maine and generated over 100 million dollars a year in business to Maine companies. The resort would have paid 130 million dollars a year in taxes and would have given Maine tribes a profit of between $50 to $100 million dollars a year. The resort would have also spent over $30 million dollars a year outside of Maine boosting Maine tourism six times the amount being spent at the time of the proposal.

The vote would have authorized only one casino. Big business in Maine opposed the Casino. MBNA, LL BEAN and TOM’S of Maine were leading the opposition as highly contributing members to "Casino NO". We could not understand why any one would oppose the creation of 10,000 jobs and millions of dollars for the State coffers. We could only conclude that companies like MBNA (who issues the credit cards for Harrahs and other major casinos) opposed this project so they could continue to find people who will work for low wages and low to no health benefits. 85% of the revenue generated from this resort would have come from out of State.

The opposition was fierce and relentless. The opposition played on the fears and ignorance of Maine citizens. They used Television ads that showed a child pulling a slot machine handle and Asians getting off buses in dirty littered alleyways. It was so absurd that I for one never thought the Maine people could be so ill informed as to believe these horrific messages. These commercials fed racism and hatred toward Indians. In the end Maine people did believe these messages. The initative that would have done so much for Maine Tribes and Maine’s economy was defeated on November 2nd 2003 by a devasting two to one vote. The most disgusting part of the defeat was a front page photo of former governor Angus King and Dennis Bailey, Public relations representative and spokes person for “Casino No” hugging each other in victory.

Maine Indian people were wounded to the core by this horrific campaign of lies and deceit and to see this photo on the front page of Maine newspapers was the last straw. Tribal Chiefs and Tribal Governors did the only thing they could to show how badly they had been treated. They walked out of the Maine Indian Tribal State Commission meeting. They in effect turned their backs on Maine government and the big business people that are so influential in Maine.

On November 5th Chief Barry Dana appeared on a Portland Television show just three days after the vote. The show was 207. The station allowed Chief Dana to read his entire prepared speech. Chief Dana started his speech by saying “Nothing has changed. Maine on Nov 5, 2003 is the same as Maine yesterday, and the day before that and the day before that…On November 5th there are still two Maine’s. Two Maine’s delineated not by any geographic boundaries, but drawn along straight economic lines. The wealthy minority wanted to stay just that. A minority in a state with thousands of residents living near or below the poverty level. Thousands of residents facing each day with no health insurance.

Thousands working two or three jobs to cobble together a weekly wage equivalent to a days salary for the wealthy elite…I am saddened that so many people were drawn into the oppositions lies. This ought not to have been but they had our own state governor doing much of the work for them: leading them from the back of the pack in speaking out against what we were offering…. The casino was a real solution offered by the Maine tribes to all of Maine, something we- as a minority- were ready to share with the 97% white/non-Native population of the state.

We had hoped the governor would hear the message that people need work, they need jobs, they need hope. This was to be our gift to Maine….”
(Things still have not changed)

The very next day I received an e-mail stating that the Governors office was being flooded with calls asking Governor Baldacci to do something to help the tribes economically. It didn’t take the Governor long to request a meeting with the Chiefs to discuss some economic options. The Chiefs were reluctant but did agree since the meeting was the result of many Maine people requesting the Governor to act on the economic devastation the tribes were facing. Governor Baldacci and the Chiefs and Tribal representatives of all four tribes met in Bangor. Possible economic projects were discussed but nothing was agreed to by anyone. The media hyped the event to make it look like the Governor had proposed some significant economic projects. The truth of the matter was that the meeting ended with skepticism on the tribes part as the Governor instructed his staff and the Department of Economic Development to meet with tribal leaders and come up with an economic development strategy within the next thirty days. (I never did see an economic development strategy report)

It was the beginning of discussions. Both sides had ideas that later were discussed further and some even acted upon. The most infamous of economic projects that was to be later agreed upon was one that was not discussed at this meeting but was purposed later. It was called PIN RX...
To be Continued.