MPBN: Passamaquoddy Tribe loses out with defeat of racino

Thursday, November 10, 2011  

"Two images capture the resignation that sets in Down East everytime voters decide whether to allow gambling in Washington County. At the Calais Motor Inn, the election-night crowd around Joseph Socobasin and his laptop grows, as the Passamaquoddy Tribal Chief hits refresh over and over, looking for that one time when the results start going the right way.

But they don't. Wednesday morning I find Socobasin and a deputy alone on the sidewalk, beneath a crumpled campaign banner outside the "Yes on 2" headquarters. "You know this is something we've pursued, long before anybody thought of it," he says. "And I think if anybody should be given an opportunity it should be the Passamaquoddy and the people of Washington County.

Twenty years ago, says Socobasin, the need for a casino-induced, economic infusion wasn't as urgent. Downtown Calais, if not quite crackling, was more vibrant. People shopped. Restaurants served dinner. There was reason to stop and stay awhile."

Get the Story:
Casino Defeat Dashes Hope for Jobs in Washington County (Maine Public Broadcasting Network 11/9)

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