Taunton anti-casino residents not backing down, despite referendum
"No Casino" supporters hold signs at North Taunton Baptist Church in Taunton during the June referendum. Despite the pro-casino result of that vote, those who are against the plans continue to point out their concerns while hoping the project can be derailed in the government approval process.
TAUNTON —
A successful citywide referendum for the proposed tribal casino in Taunton is in the rear-view mirror, but those who are against the plans continue to point out their concerns while hoping the project can be derailed in the government approval process.
“There is a lot of stuff going on, in terms of where it stands legally and whether it will get approved,” said Tony LaCourse, chairman of the anti-casino group Preserve Taunton’s Future. “The funny part is we don’t necessarily have to fight that aspect because the federal government is more likely to do it for us. But what we need to do now is make the issues known to them, so if they do push it through the impact is heard, for traffic mitigation, safety and in other ways.”
LaCourse said Preserve Taunton’s Future dissolved as a ballot action committee the day of the June 9 referendum, but the citizens who are against the casino continue to work together on research while reaching out to express concerns with legislators at the state level and the governor along with the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
LaCourse and some others who are against the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe’s proposed casino in Taunton actually believe that the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs likely will not approve the land into trust application from the tribe. LaCourse points to the 2009 Supreme Court case Carcieri v. Salazar, which ruled that the federal government could not take land into trust from tribes that were recognized after 1934. The Mashpee were recognized in 2007.
LaCourse also said that even if the Bureau of Indian Affairs approves the tribe’s land into trust application, that the effort will then die in Congress where approval is needed.
No matter which way it turns out, LaCourse said “hopefully the civil war can stop” between those who supported the casino in the citywide vote and those who were against it. He said that if the casino is coming, everyone should work together so that “it is done in a way that won’t adversely affect us all.”
Somerset-based attorney Lesley Rich said he is continuing to work on behalf of a group of Taunton taxpayers by forming a legal challenge against the sale of the industrial park land for the planned casino in spite of land use restrictions. Rich — who also represents the Pocasset Tribe that is also opposing the Wampanoag effort to take the land into trust based on historical reasons — said the lawsuit will likely not be filed for at least another month.
“There is a lot of stuff going on, in terms of where it stands legally and whether it will get approved,” said Tony LaCourse, chairman of the anti-casino group Preserve Taunton’s Future. “The funny part is we don’t necessarily have to fight that aspect because the federal government is more likely to do it for us. But what we need to do now is make the issues known to them, so if they do push it through the impact is heard, for traffic mitigation, safety and in other ways.”
LaCourse said Preserve Taunton’s Future dissolved as a ballot action committee the day of the June 9 referendum, but the citizens who are against the casino continue to work together on research while reaching out to express concerns with legislators at the state level and the governor along with the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
LaCourse and some others who are against the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe’s proposed casino in Taunton actually believe that the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs likely will not approve the land into trust application from the tribe. LaCourse points to the 2009 Supreme Court case Carcieri v. Salazar, which ruled that the federal government could not take land into trust from tribes that were recognized after 1934. The Mashpee were recognized in 2007.
LaCourse also said that even if the Bureau of Indian Affairs approves the tribe’s land into trust application, that the effort will then die in Congress where approval is needed.
No matter which way it turns out, LaCourse said “hopefully the civil war can stop” between those who supported the casino in the citywide vote and those who were against it. He said that if the casino is coming, everyone should work together so that “it is done in a way that won’t adversely affect us all.”
Somerset-based attorney Lesley Rich said he is continuing to work on behalf of a group of Taunton taxpayers by forming a legal challenge against the sale of the industrial park land for the planned casino in spite of land use restrictions. Rich — who also represents the Pocasset Tribe that is also opposing the Wampanoag effort to take the land into trust based on historical reasons — said the lawsuit will likely not be filed for at least another month.
Taunton City Solicitor Jason Buffington called the potential lawsuit “baseless” and said the deed restrictions allow the Taunton Development Corporation, the nonprofit that owns and manages the Liberty and Union Industrial Park, to waive the restrictions.
Brian Kennedy, a Taunton resident who is active with the Taunton Republican Committee and who has been outspoken against the casino project, said that “it’s not a matter of what we are going to do, it’s a matter of what we have been doing.” He said since the June 9 election, a group of anti-casino residents have been investigating issues of land into trust that come with tribal casinos.
“There are two ways to stop the casino now,” Kennedy said. “First is to prevent them from getting land into trust, which comes from the Bureau of Indian Affairs. They don’t have a legal standing to put it there. And we can make a case to the BIA that there is a lot of environmental impact that (wasn’t) addressed because of the timeline the state put us on. Our only other remedy is contact legislators who can vote it down.”
Read more: http://www.heraldnews.com/news/x537698046/Taunton-anti-casino-residents-not-backing-down-despite-referendum#ixzz203npRdWT
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