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About Siletz news letter. (Siletz, Oregon) 1989-1997 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 1, 1995)
4 January 1995 Gaming ( Continued) members informing them that although the Judd property was named, it was solely for the purpose of initiating compact negotiations. We wanted to get compact negotiations started because the Compact process is long and difficult. If we had waited until we had another piece of land located and in trust, we would have lost another year in development. All the while, the Ad Hoc Gaming Commission had conducted a survey of sites in Lincoln County and had determined that Lincoln City was the most economically viable. Informal discussions began quietly with the owner of Lincoln Shore Star Resort in Lincoln City for the purchase of eleven acres located within this 80 acre resort development. The site was a former tribal allotment. Our negotiations based on the Judd property began in January, 1994. The Governor's team was comprised of the Governor's legal advisor, an attorney with the State Attorney General's Office and a Lieutenant of the Oregon State Police. The Tribe was able to take advantage of the Governor's Grand Ronde mistake, and to convince the State Team that no viable reservation land was available for gaming, and that the State should approve an alternate site for gaming. The State Team was persuaded to hold the third negotiation session at Siletz which gave the State Team the opportunity of seeing first hand that Siletz was not a feasible site for a tribal gaming enterprise. The Governor's Team agreed to continue compact negotiations with the understanding that Lincoln City would be the site of the proposed gaming center, with final approval of the Compact contingent on congressional action to make the Lincoln Shores property eligible for gaming under IGRA. TECHNICAL AMENDMENTS BILL BECOMES LAW NOVEMBER 3, 1994 The groundwork was carefully laid for congressional action to make the Lincoln City property part of the Tribe's Reservation. Congressman Kopetski introduced the bill in the House of Representatives to have the Lincoln City property taken into trust and made part of the Siletz Reservation as part of the restoration of lands to the Tribe. Included in the Siletz provision were additional parcels to be made part of the reservation. For the next ten months, we were engaged in quiet but intense strategy sessions with our Washington consultants and frequent contacts with our Congressional representatives. Since its introduction, several provisions involving other tribes were piggy-backed onto the bill, which complicated and delayed the process. Several times during this period, the passage of the bill seemed in jeopardy. Our close and continuous contacts with key congressional representatives and their staffs during this long period were absolutely critical to the final passage of this bill, which occurred at 2:30 AM on October 6th, the last day of Congress. The bill was signed by the President on November 3rd. The enactment of P.L. 103-435 and the signing of the Tribal/State Compact for Class III Gaming took place within two weeks of each other. RELATIONSHIPS WITH LINCOLN CITY - CITY COUNCIL AND COMMUNITY It was mutually agreed that the official signing . ceremony of the Compact by the Tribal Chairman and the Governor would not be announced until after the Tribe had an opportunity to meet with City Council officials. Through a clerical error, the signing was posted on the Governor's agenda and was made public prematurely. As expected, the news of the Compact generated mixed reactions among Lincoln City officials. Pat McCormick, the Tribe's Public Relations Consultant, met with the Mayor-elect and other councilmen on November 15th to brief them on the Siletz project and to arrange a meeting between the City Council and the Tribe. The intent was to inform the city officials before giving the information to the media. The Mayor-elect declined the request, stating that the Council would not participate unless the media was present. By the time the Mayor-elect changed his mind and was willing to meet with the Tribal Council, the Tribe had already issued a press release, granted interviews with the media and accepted an invitation to appear before the Lincoln City Chamber of Commerce on December 9, 1994. Since our decision to establish a gaming center in Lincoln City, we maintained a low-profile position regarding our plans. The City Council had been in a state of chaos for months, which culminated in a recall election involving four city council members and the firing of the city attorney. It was important that we avoid becoming embroiled in the city's already strife-ridden political situation. Most City Council members did, in fact, know about the Siletz plans. During the year and preceding the contacts by McCormick, tribal representatives met with city officials for the purpose of informing them of the Siletz plans. They were therefore aware of the Tribe's plans and had the opportunity to follow up on that knowledge. However, the current Mayor decided not to run for office and the city attorney had been fired from her position. As of the publication of this newsletter, a meeting with the City Council has not yet been scheduled though the Tribe made a presentation to the Chamber of Commerce on December the 9th where about 250 community residents were present. We are meeting with the Rotary, the Chamber and other governmental officials. The Tribe's presentation emphasized our willingness to work cooperatively with the City and the community in implementing plans for the gaming/convention center, i t is hoped that the City Council will accept the Tribe's offer to work cooperatively on matters of mutual concern. Answers to Your Questions About Gaming By: Jessie Davis, Chairman, Ad Hoc Gaming Commission QUESTION: WHY WASN'T SILETZ SELECTED FOR OUR GAMING SITE? ANSWER: By unanimous vote of the Council, we followed the advice of our gaming consultants and looked for more viable sites outside of Siletz. It is the responsibility of the Tribal Council to maximize revenues from gaming to serve the needs of tribal members. We were told by several gaming experts Siletz would not generate enough revenues to pay for the expenses incurred. QUESTION: WHY WAS SALEM SELECTED? ANSWER: Salem is in our aboriginal territory, eleven county service area and we have had an area office
