Stockbridge Munsee Band still working for off-reservation casino

Thursday, March 10, 2011

The Stockbridge Munsee Band of Mohican Indians of Wisconsin is still hoping to build an off-reservation casino in New York.

The tribe thought the Obama administration supported a Class III compact and land claim settlement for a casino in the Catskills. But after 18 months of discussions, the Interior Department rejected the deal last month.

“It’s like, ‘Hello! Where have you been for the 18 months you’ve been working with us?’ We’ve never quite understood where we had a turn of events, but clearly something changed, President Kimberly Vele told The Oneida Dispatch.

Vele said the tribe is open to all types of discussions to address gaming, land claims and other issues in New York. But the tribe hopes to avoid having to ask Congress for approval.

There’s too much acrimony on the hill,” Vele told the paper. “They can’t agree on anything, much less us. We’re not that important in the whole scheme of things. We just can’t get it so let’s find a different route to move on with our business. We can’t just be held up here.”

Get the Story:
Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohican Indians hasn’t given up on casino plan; Tribe still owns Madison County land (The Oneida Dispatch 3/10)