New lobbyist to help Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe with casino plan

Friday, March 11, 2011  

With gaming plans in limbo at the state and federal level, the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe of Massachusetts has hired a new lobbyist with big political ties.

Former Rep. William Delahunt (D-Massachusetts), who left Congress earlier this year, will represent the tribe on gaming and other matters. He supports legalized gaming and says the tribe deserves a casino.

"We will be working with them and make sure they receive everything they're entitled to because they deserve it," Delahunt told The Cape Cod Times.

Efforts to legalize gaming in Massachusetts in the past few years have failed. If a bill becomes law, the tribe would be able to negotiate a Class III compact with the state.

The tribe also needs help in Washington, D.C. The U.S. Supreme Court decision in Carcieri v. Salazar placed doubts on the tribe's land-into-trust application, which has been stalled at the Bureau of Indian Affairs for over three years.

Get the Story:
Mashpee tribe hires Delahunt (The Cape Cod Times 3/11)
Mashpee tribe hires Delahunt as lobbyist (The Boston Globe 3/11)

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Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe enlists ex-Rep. Delahunt as lobbyist (3/10)