AUGUSTA – The head of the state’s largest fundamentalist Christian lobby charged Friday that Maine’s Indian tribes are floating the concept of a Kittery casino as a trial balloon in anticipation of a Democratic gubernatorial victory in November.

Emphasizing that 2nd District Rep. John Baldacci voted for the Passamaquoddys’ unsuccessful 1993 effort to build a casino in Calais as a member of the Maine Senate, Michael Heath said the Bangor Democrat also has close links to Severin Beliveau. Beliveau is a prominent Democratic State House lobbyist who is representing the Penobscot and Passamaquoddy tribes in their efforts to build support for a new casino bill.

In a Friday press statement, Heath, who heads the Christian Civic League of Maine, accused the tribes of advancing the casino issue now to give Mainers time to get used to the idea. He predicted tribal lobbying on the issue simply was a warm-up for a political full-court press in 2003 when the proposal is presented to the next session of the Legislature.

“I think this [casino] is about John Baldacci,” Heath said. “The Democrat front-runner for governor is pro-gambling and has close ties to [the tribes’] legal team.”

Donna Gormley, communications director for Baldacci’s campaign, said the candidate had joined other family members in seclusion Friday, the day after his mother’s funeral in Bangor. She said Baldacci needed more details about the casino plan before offering his opinion on the proposal. She said the candidate did not support or oppose the plan.

“As governor, he would look at this proposal with an open mind as he would any proposal that could potentially expand economic opportunities in Maine,” Gormley said.

Heath insisted all one had to do was “connect the dots” to reveal the shape of the next political alliance that will establish Maine’s first tribal casino. With construction estimates between $400 million and $600 million, the gambling resort was shopped around to legislators this week by Beliveau, Republican lobbyist Jon Doyle and tribal attorney Tom Tureen, who brokered the landmark Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act of 1980.

Doyle said the planned Kittery resort actually would rival the Foxwoods Casino in Mashantucket, Conn., and generate $50 million for the tribes and $100 million for the state’s General Fund annually.

State Sen. Ken Lemont, a Kittery Republican, said he was aware of a 150-to-200-acre parcel near the interstate that the tribes were evaluating.

Rep. Chris O’Neil, a Saco Democrat, said lawmakers were told the casino would employ 4,000 people and that 80 percent of its customers would be from out of state.

Maine’s Indian tribes face long odds as they attempt to set the casino plan in motion. Under the provisions of their 1980 landmark settlement agreement, the tribes need legislative approval to acquire land they intend to use for gambling purposes.

Gov. Angus S. King, who leaves office next January, has pledged to veto any casino legislation that reaches his desk. Since the deadline for admitting bills into the current session has expired, the tribes also would need to demonstrate to legislative leaders that an emergency situation justifies the bill’s authorization. With a looming veto threat, such legislation would require two-thirds support in the House and Senate for enactment.

Time is running out for the tribes this year. The 120th Legislature is scheduled to adjourn no later than April 17, and many lawmakers do not relish a complicated and emotional debate on a casino so late in the session. For all these reasons, Heath surmised that the Indians never intended to submit a bill in the current session of the Legislature.

“These guys are getting us ready for next year, that’s what they’re doing,” Heath said.

In the latest odd political alliance involving King and presumed ideological opponents, the governor once again finds himself flanked by strange bedfellows in his determination to keep a casino from coming to Maine. Heath, whose group has fought King tirelessly on civil rights protection for homosexuals, now praises the governor for his efforts to curb gambling in Maine.

Both men believe that a casino would lead to the expansion of gambling throughout the state, create new challenges for local law enforcement and erode the quality of life in Maine.

Meanwhile, Bob Tardy, a Palmyra lobbyist representing Scarborough Downs Raceway, was siding with King for entirely different reasons. Representatives of the horse racing track were sharply critical of King when the governor opposed the facility’s efforts to legalize video gambling machines there through a failed statewide referendum. Now, Tardy says, Scarborough Downs is depending on the governor to block the casino.

“It would be the end of harness racing in Maine,” said Tardy, predicting that gamblers would bypass the track in favor of casino gaming.

Heath said Friday the Christian Civic League will be watching Baldacci as future chapters unfold in the casino debate. He will be particularly interested in determining whether the candidate will weigh gambling’s alleged costs to society along with its touted economic benefits.

“One thing’s for sure, Baldacci’s history indicates he will be a lot different than Angus King – let’s put it that way,” Heath said.