Massachusetts tribes sit back and wait on gaming

Monday, February 14, 2005  

Leaders of two Massachusetts tribes are taking a wait-and-see approach to gaming as State Legislature gears up for another round of debate.

Two years ago, the Aquinnah Wampanoag Tribe, the only federally recognized tribe in the state, spent $120,000 to lobby lawmakers. But this year the tribe won't be trying to "influence" them.

"We have learned that the Legislature is going to move at their own pace," Chairman Donald Widdiss told The New Bedford Standard-Times. And rather than keep trying to influence them, we are talking to people, keeping our ear to the ground until we get to the point where this is something real."

The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, which is state recognized, spent $60,000 on lobbying last year but is also taking a laid back group this time around. "I think we're just going to give the leadership an opportunity to do their job to the best of their ability, which we know they can," Chairman Glenn Marshall told The Cape Cod Times.

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