Lawyer hired to fight Choctaws
Coast casinos lined up to join
BILOXI - The Biloxi City Council on Tuesday hired a lawyer to oppose a casino proposed in Jackson County by the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians.
The possibility of a tribal development has caused existing Biloxi casinos to put expansion plans on hold and new casino companies to hesitate about investing in the city. Besides having the competitive advantage of not having to pay taxes, the tribal development near Interstate 10 would also have location advantages. It would cut off traffic from Florida and other eastern markets and would not be exposed to the risks of having to operate near the water.
Michael Cavanaugh will be paid a monthly retainer fee of $1,500 not to exceed $18,000. He will work hand-in-hand with Coast casinos that have already lined up to oppose the Choctaw development.
The council last month unanimously passed a resolution asking Gov. Haley Barbour to take “all measures within his power to oppose and prohibit” the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians’ plan to put a casino in Jackson County. The council asked the governor to “act quickly and decisively to end this threat to the economic recovery of the Mississippi Gulf Coast.”
Barbour, who would have to approve a compact for the Choctaws to operate a casino, had already written a letter to the Bureau of Indian Affairs in opposition of the proposal. The governor sent the council a copy of the letter. The Bureau of Indian Affairs allowed the tribe to go forward with an environmental impact statement procedure for the proposed casino despite Barbour’s opposition.
The Choctaws have asked the Jackson County Board of Supervisors to hold a non-binding referendum on the casino proposal to coincide with the 2008 presidential election and said they would respect voters wishes. This election would occur during Barbour’s second term if he is re-elected and in office.
Source: TOM WILEMON Sun Herald