Candidates for Eastern Cherokee chief talk gaming issues

Wednesday, June 1, 2011  

The five candidates for principal chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in North Carolina discussed gaming issues at a forum last week.

Incumbent Michell Hicks has faced questions about the tribe's gaming-related debt of nearly $1 billion. Most of the money is going towards a $650 million expansion of the Harrah's Cherokee Casino.

Hicks says he has a plan to eliminate the debt in four years. “As we roll through and increase the expansion, addressing the debt is going to be done through the cash flow," he told tribal members, The Smoky Mountain News.

Other candidates are worried about the debt and the tribe's relationship with Harrah's. The tribe just extended its management contract with the company for seven more years.

Get the Story:
Cherokee chief candidates debate tribe’s dependency on Harrah’s (The Smoky Mountain News 6/1)

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Five candidates in running for Eastern Band principal chief (5/23)