Letter: Buena Vista Band's only business a casino

Thursday, June 21, 2007  

"There is a conflict in Amador County supporting the Chamber of Commerce appointment of the Buena Vista Band of MeWuk Indians' tribal representative John Tang to its tourism committee, while at the same time fighting the plan for a Buena Vista casino. In fact, withdrawal of support should have been considered with the membership of the tribe in the chamber.

Aren't chambers of commerce organized to promote commerce and local business? The only business of the tribe is a casino. Isn't the fact that the tribe did not apparently feel the need to be represented on the chamber prior to 2004 indicative of the need to promote its business - the casino?

Contrary to Tang's assertion that the committee appointment and the tribe's legitimacy are two separate issues, it seems to me that the only reason for active participation in the chamber is to legitimize the plans for a casino. Negotiations for a casino with the county are not a "totally separate issue." Timing, size and mitigations are details that are dependent on outcomes of current legal and political events."

Get the Story:
Tribe doesn't belong in the chamber (The Amador Ledger-Dispatch 6/20)