Tribal racino bill rejected; Senate may reconsider issue

AUGUSTA – A razor-thin, 17-16 Senate vote against creating a new tribal racino bill prompted a flurry of private meetings Thursday as proponents attempted to keep the proposal alive and encourage another vote next week.

Without debate and with two members absent, the Senate voted against legislation that would have required the Legislature’s Legal and Veterans Affairs Committee to craft a bill calling for a referendum to allow a tribal commercial racetrack and slot machines in Washington County.

There was bipartisan opposition to the plan in the closely divided Senate which stood in contrast to the House where the measure already had been approved by a 98-44 vote. Meanwhile, representatives of the Passamaquoddy Tribe are expected to deliver their petition signatures Monday to the secretary of state calling for a statewide referendum vote on the proposed racino in November.

“We have a lot more signatures than what we need, and we’re just going to keep on pushing right to the end,” Passamaquoddy Tribal Rep. Fred Moore said Thursday.

State election officials then will begin the process of certifying the signatures on the petitions. Many legislators perceived the tribe’s efforts to get the related bill through the Legislature as an insurance policy in the event the citizen initiative fails to produce enough valid signatures to qualify for the ballot.

While the joint order the Senate voted on Thursday would have left the wording of the bill up to the Legal and Veterans Affairs Committee to determine, tribal representatives were supporting language recommending a June vote in Washington County only.

The 17-16 vote Thursday surprised proponents of the plan such as Moore and Rep. Eddie Dugay, D-Cherryfield, who thought they were going to wind up with a 20-13 vote in favor of the order. Proponents maintained that two Democrats and one Republican who formerly had supported committee action changed their votes.

“You can’t take anybody’s word anymore,” Moore said. “Some people keep their word, some can’t. Some people are in the corner, and some are pushed down on the second floor [Gov. John E. Baldacci’s office]. There are all kinds of things that occur around here that change the dynamics on a daily basis.”

Baldacci has been a staunch opponent of a tribal racino and earlier this month vetoed a bill that would have put the question out to a vote.

Sen. Peter Mills, R-Cornville, and Sen. Bruce Bryant, D-Dixfield, were absent during the vote. Mills arrived later and said he would have voted with the majority. Bryant was attending a funeral and was perceived by proponents as a vote for the racino order.

Another unexpected turn of events occurred after Senate Republican leader Paul Davis of Sangerville – who had voted with the majority to scuttle the racino order – asked to have the Senate decision held until Tuesday. At that time, he could ask the Senate to reconsider the vote.

“I asked that the vote results be held because I was approached by members of my caucus who wanted to have a little more discussion on this,” Davis said. “We had some people absent, and they asked me to hold it.”

Senate Majority Leader Michael Brennan, D-Portland, said he could understand the outcome of the vote since there was considerable opposition to having state law possibly be exempted by a single county. Additionally, he said that a number of senators on both sides of the aisle did not perceive gambling as a desirable form of economic activity in the state.

“It’s absolutely true that it was not a partisan issue, and I think the vote reflects that,” Brennan said.

Still, Democrats in the Senate opposed the racino in greater numbers than Republicans. Thirteen Democrats and four Republicans opposed the measure, while 11 Republicans and five Democrats favored it.