Lawmaker defects on tribal casino

A plan for a tribal racetrack casino Down East faced fresh opposition this week with the defection of a state lawmaker from Bangor, where officials have been wary of the plan’s propensity to galvanize efforts to outlaw slots in Maine and derail plans for a multimillion dollar “racino” in the city.

“Every time we turn around, somebody – the tribes, [the anti-slots group] Casinos No! – is trying to throw a monkey wrench into the Bangor racino,” Rep. Pat Blanchette, D-Bangor, said Monday from Augusta, where her Legal and Veterans Affairs committee considered the bill for a second time last week. “Stop raining on my parade. This is too important to Bangor.”

In the committee’s initial vote, Blanchette supported the Passamaquoddy Tribe’s plan, which would allow the tribe to operate as many as 1,500 slots – thus doubling the statewide limit – at a racetrack near its reservation in Washington County.

Blanchette, however, unexpectedly withdrew her endorsement. And in a Monday interview, she suggested her committee should reconsider the proposal, which she said lacked specifics such as who would fund the costly new racetrack complex.

The tribe’s bill, LD 1573, is modeled on a state law enacted last year after voters approved slots at the state’s commercial racetracks. Bangor Raceway became the only eligible site for the slots after local voters approved the plan at referendum.

Supporters of the tribe’s plan say Washington County, where jobless rates are double the state average, deserves the same economic opportunity.

On Monday, Sen. Kevin Raye, R-Perry, a sponsor of the tribal bill, learned of Blanchette’s reversal. He said he didn’t think it would harm the bill’s chances in the full House and Senate, particularly since it still emerged from committee with a 10-3 vote.

Raye also dismissed suggestions that Washington County wait until the Bangor slots facility proves uncontroversial before pursuing an expansion certain to incite gambling critics and bolster efforts to outlaw slots in Maine.

“I can tell you the people of Washington County have been told for many years … their time would come,” Raye said. “I think there’s strong sentiment our time has come.”

Behind the scenes, opponents counted Blanchette’s reversal a significant victory considering her staunch support for past gambling initiatives.

But if backers of the Bangor racino thought the fresh opposition to the tribal plan would dissuade Casinos No! from joining the effort to ban slots, they might need to think again.

Although there is some dissent within the Portland-based group about whether to join a repeal try – particularly if the Washington County expansion plan fails in the Legislature – Casinos No! spokeswoman Val Landry said interest was high in either situation.

“The response we’ve received has been so overwhelming, we’d have to consider [a repeal] either way,” said Landry, whose group is meeting next week to discuss the issue.

Without help from Casinos No! which raised $3 million to defeat an Indian casino plan in 2003, few give the repeal effort much chance of success. Opponents need to gather 50,519 signatures by Sept. 28 to force a referendum on the issue in 2006.

Thus far, a smaller group, No Slots for ME! which has little in the way of campaign funds, has collected only about half the signatures.

Supporters of the tribe’s plan also argue it is a matter of fairness considering, under federal law, tribes elsewhere in the country are able to conduct casino gambling on their lands.

The Maine tribes are not covered by that federal law because of an earlier agreement with the state precluding them from casino gambling.