"Even though the new chief of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians says a vote in Jackson County on the tribe's casino plan won't matter, the outcome will send a clear signal to the politicians.

The former chief, Phillip Martin, had said he would abide by the results of the referendum planned in November. But, Beasley Denton, elected last week as chief, said the vote would not be a decision of the Choctaw people and would have no bearing on their casino decision.

Denton's assessment of the Jackson County vote echoes an opinion by a senior official with the Bureau of Indian Affairs and an attorney with the National Indian Gaming Association at a conference held in Biloxi in May. George Skibine, acting principal deputy assistant secretary for Indian affairs, said county leaders will be consulted rather than the outcome of a county vote.

Choctaws would be ill-advised to dismiss the impact of a negative county vote on politicians and Bureau of Indian Affairs officials."

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Our Opinion: Vote will be a clear signal (The Mississippi Press 7/12)