Good news, bad news for tribal casino

By Don Davis

Pioneer Capitol Reporter

      ST. PAUL - Just as it appeared a tribal casino proposal was making progress in the Minnesota House Tuesday, a key senator withdrew his support.

      Senate Minority Leader Dick Day said he is losing casino support from fellow Senate Republicans.

      “I have had my fill of this convoluted garbage,” Day said. “We are going to cut and run.”

      So Day, R-Owatonna, pulled his backing of putting a tribal casino at the Canterbury Park horse-racing track in Shakopee.

      Tribal casino supporters said Day’s action would hurt, but they would continue seeking legislative approval to build separate tribal and Canterbury casinos near each other.

      The tribal casino had been promoted by the White Earth, Leech Lake and Red Lake bands of Chippewa. Leech Lake and Red Lake dropped out in recent weeks, saying they did not want to partner with Canterbury.

      White Earth Chairwoman Erma Vizenor, who led a delegation of members of her band on a Capitol lobbying visit Tuesday, said she was disappointed at Day’s decision with pulling his support and was surprised by his words.

      “It’s important to remember, too, that the owners of Canterbury Park are Minnesotans just like you and me, and they’ve worked hard to make a success of the race track,” Day said.

      When shown his comments, Vizenor raised a hand to her mouth. The chairwoman said many Minnesota Indians would consider Day’s remarks racist and biased.

      When asked about that, Day responded: “So what?”

      Day said Vizenor should talk to other American Indian tribes, not the state. Some of those tribes have very profitable casinos, while Vizenor says her band’s single casino is too remote to produce enough money for the northwestern Minnesota’s reservation.

      Early this year, Pawlenty signed on to the northern tribes’ plan for a Twin Cities casino.

      Rep. Andy Westerberg, R-Blaine, said his bill, which is Pawlenty’s joint plan, could receive a hearing in the House Taxes Committee this week. It had been considered a hostile committee. Westerberg said he has gained some votes, but still does not know if he has enough to pass the measure.

      “We hope to find some way to get it through,” he added.

      The vice chairman of the Taxes Committee said the earlier decisions by Red Lake and Leech Lake to drop out of the tribal casino hurts its chances. Rep. Dean Simpson, R-New York Mills, said he and other House Republicans favor the Canterbury proposal, known as a racino, because there already is gambling at the horse track. “It is not an expansion.”

      Vizenor said she feels partnering with Canterbury is the only way to get enough votes for a tribal casino.

      White Earth lobbyist Bill Haas said he expects amendments to crop up in Taxes Committee to make the proposal more palatable to lawmakers. An amendment expected to come up to help White Earth would penalize the state if it allows more gambling.

      The chairwoman said the White Earth delegation met with legislators to answer questions about the proposal.

      “This bill is going to change our future,” Vizenor said is the message the delegation delivered.

      She said the reservation’s Circle of Life School has been condemned, as have portable buildings erected to supplement the main one.

      “We desperately need a new K-12 school,” she said. “We have some great needs many people don’t see.”

      The chairwoman said she did not know how to react to Day’s announcement, but Westerberg did: “It makes it tougher, but not impossible.”

      Day said his intention was never to get involved in American Indian agreements with the state or to push through a plan that would split casino proceeds with the tribes.

      “I don’t want anything to do with any of them,” he said of the tribes.

      Day said he is willing to wait and bring his racino plan back during the 2006 Legislature. He also suggested that if left by itself, lawmakers could use it to secure an extra $264 million for the state during end-of-session budget negotiations.

      On Monday, Day met with Pawlenty, who talked about the ongoing effort to get the joint casino deal through the Legislature this session.

      “You have to realize, in the Senate it won’t work,” Day said, adding that DFLers don’t want to help Pawlenty get the measure passed.

Pioneer Capitol Reporter Scott Wente contributed to this report