Attorney for tribes says Kittery off list of potential casino sites

PORTLAND – After its Town Council vote this week indicating opposition to a casino, Kittery no longer will be considered as a possible site for a Foxwoods-style casino and resort, an attorney for two Maine Indian tribes said Wednesday.

“The tribes have said all along that they will not seek to build in a town that does not want a casino,” said Tom Tureen, who represents the Penobscot Nation and the Passamaquoddy Tribe.

“Thus, even though Kittery is the best location in the state from a geographic point of view, Kittery will not be included on the tribes’ list of potential sites because of the Town Council vote,” he said.

Kittery was named as an ideal location for the $400 million to $600 million development because of its easy access to the Maine Turnpike and proximity to Boston.

On Monday, the Town Council adopted a zoning amendment banning casinos.

Tureen said the tribes have no list of potential sites at this time. Instead, he said, they are awaiting the findings of a study to be presented to the next Legislature on whether a casino should be built in Maine and, if so, where.

“That’s a process that will go on over the summer, and we’ll get a chance to think about all of this rationally and dispassionately,” he said.

The tribes have maintained that southern Maine has the most favorable demographics for a casino, Tureen said.

Tureen had approached Wells about the project. Wells is one of four area towns that have scheduled nonbinding referendums asking voters whether they want a casino.