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