Aug 29, 2007 12:38 pm US/Eastern
Mashpee Wampanoag's New Leader Wants Casino
MASHPEE (AP) ―
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"We want to be clear that we are moving ahead," new tribal council chairman Shawn Hendricks said Wednesday.
WBZ
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Glenn Marshall (file photo)
WBZ
The Mashpee Wampanoag tribe, reeling from the resignation of its leader after he acknowledged lying about his military record, sought to restore public trust Wednesday by introducing new leadership and reiterating plans to build the state's first casino.
"We want to be clear that we are moving ahead," new tribal council chairman Shawn Hendricks said.
"We ask the United States government to allow us to map our destiny as a sovereign nation."
The tribe wants to build a $1 billion casino in Massachusetts and needs the support of lawmakers and Gov. Deval Patrick, who is closing in on a decision on whether to back an expansion of gambling.
But the tribe was thrown into turmoil last week when chairman Glenn Marshall acknowledged he lied about his military service and was convicted of rape in 1981. On Monday, the council removed Marshall as chairman, and Hendricks was elevated from vice chairman to chairman.
Marshall was in his second four-year term. The next scheduled election is 2008.
At a news conference Wednesday attended by about 150 tribe members, Hendricks highlighted the tribe's plan to file a petition Thursday with the federal government to take more than 500 acres of land in Middleborough and 100 acres in Mashpee into a trust.
Hendricks also addressed the recent actions of a dissident group of tribe members, who want to remove the entire tribal council. Hendricks said the tribal council speaks for the entire 1,500 member tribe.
"There are people trying to confuse opinion leaders and jeopardize our goals, but there is only one Mashpee Wampanoag tribe," he said.
Tribe spokeswoman Amy Lambiaso said the tribe's constitution states that 100 signatures of tribe voters are required to begin the process of recalling a council member. It then needs approval of the tribe's election committee, following hearings, she said.
The Legislature must approve expanded gambling before a full-scale casino can be built. Patrick, who made a surprise visit to Mashpee when the tribe celebrated its federal recognition, has said he would announce his gambling position around Labor Day.
(© 2007 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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