PLEASANT POINT – Gov. John Baldacci should hold his nose, turn his head and allow a tribal racino initiative to go into effect, former tribal state Rep. Fred Moore urged Thursday.

On Tuesday, backers of a tribal racino initiative learned they had successfully completed their petition drive and submitted enough valid signatures to get their proposal before the Legislature.

Moore said he would like to see the Legislature approve the measure and send it to the governor. The governor in turn can sign it, ignore it and allow it to become law, or veto it.

“It could very well be passed because many of the returning legislators enacted it previously,” Moore said.

“It had been heavily scrutinized and worked through committee and it’s identical to existing Maine law except it pertains to Washington County. … So there is good argument for enactment in the Legislature. Whether or not the governor decides to veto it depends upon how the governor feels about Washington County.”

If lawmakers fail to approve “An Act to Authorize a Tribal Commercial Track and Slot Machines in Washington County,” the proposal could go before voters in a statewide referendum in November.

The former tribal official said he hoped the governor would support it because it would be in Washington County’s best interest.

“The people of Maine are not opposed to this, so why then should we be hung up on his vision for Washington County which has produced nothing?” Moore said. “He could veto it and continue to maintain an economic stranglehold on Washington County.”

Moore said he has not spoken with the governor. “The last communication I received from the governor’s office is he will try to continue to oppose us at every front with regard to our pursuit of parity for Native Americans in the state,” Moore said.

And there doesn’t appear to be any movement toward compromise on the part of the governor.

“I haven’t changed my mind,” Baldacci said Thursday. “As I have said before, if there’s going to be one, then it should be voted on by all the people, as was the racino and casino.”

The governor’s popularity among county locals has slid dramatically since he was first elected to office.

In 2002, the governor carried Washington County with 60 percent of the vote, but not this time. In the recent election, the county gave Baldacci 29 percent of the vote.

Opponents of a racino also are looking at their options.

“The CasinosNO! board will meet shortly to decide what steps we will take regarding the Washington County racetrack casino,” spokesman Dennis Bailey said Thursday. “Our organization opposes the expansion of casino gambling, and the proposal for thousands of slot machines along with high-stakes Beano and horse racing is certainly a major expansion of gambling. Washington County already has enough problems with poverty, joblessness and addiction. A racetrack casino is a solution for these problems the same way gasoline is a solution for a raging fire.”

The Passamaquoddy Tribe turned in nearly 69,000 signatures; they needed 50,519. After the state rejected 18,000 of the signatures, the Secretary of State’s office approved 51,906, still more than were needed.

There may be an appeal, Bailey added. “In the short term, we are seriously considering an appeal of the petition signatures. The fact that nearly 18,000 signatures – 25 percent of the total – were ruled invalid by the Secretary of State raises serious questions and concerns about the validity and integrity of the petition gathering process,” he said.

If approved, the measure would allow the tribe to operate a harness racing track with slot machines and high-stakes Beano games in Washington County.

Moore, who has been the author and prime mover of the initiative, said that the tribe wanted to build a commercial harness track in Washington County within 45 minutes of its reservations. The tribe has two reservations, one at Pleasant Point near Eastport and one at Indian Township near Princeton.

It was too early to pinpoint where the facility might be built, Moore said. In the past, Calais has been a major advocate of the tribe’s efforts to build a casino in this community that shares a border with New Brunswick.

The state already has a gambling facility in Bangor. Hollywood Slots is in a temporary location as it prepares to build a $90 million racino in Bangor that will house up to 1,500 slots. The new facility is expected to open on Main Street, across from Bass Park, in 2008.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.