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Casino attack ads not accurate

Elaine Bethel-Fink / Tribal Chair, North Fork Rancheria

(Updated: Thursday, February 09, 2012, 10:46 AM)

As the proposed Madera/North Fork casino nears successful completion after more than seven years of rigorous state and federal review -- we are one signature away -- opponents to the project have launched a massive campaign of negative attacks.

Recently Madera County residents have been barraged by an onslaught of bogus polls, anonymous mailers and letters cajoling the public, and according to reports, also Chukchansi employees, vendors and even tribal citizens to oppose the project.

In the past the Chukchansi tribe employed high-priced lawyers, lobbyists and public relation operatives to produce such attacks. Now they have enlisted other rich gaming tribes and outside anti-gaming groups to try to stop the project.

These outsiders aren't working for the good of Madera County. They are paid opponents hired by tribes who already have casinos. They are also distorting the truth.

Their negative attack ads have twisted the history of the Madera project beyond recognition. They claim that a Las Vegas developer bought land in Madera and then "recruited" our tribe. In fact, we selected Station Casinos as a recognized leader in the industry known for exceptional worker and community relations. We selected Station -- not the other way around -- and then authorized them to secure an option for our proposed site.

The recent attack mailers also suggest we are going against the will of the people of Madera and somehow skirting the law by "reservation shopping." This is not true. Maderans twice voted to support Indian gaming as a tool for tribal self-sufficiency and good governance. Cheryl Schmit, a leading gambling opponent, is on record as far back as 2006 in a statement regarding the Madera / North Fork plan, saying: "This is not reservation shopping ... this is the state exercising its authority to locate gaming where it is wanted."

We are following the precise process that Congress established in 1988 to provide tribes who do not have a land base, such as North Fork, the same opportunity to engage in tribal governmental gaming that Chukchansi and its rich allies now enjoy. This process is the only way left to us to develop economically so that we, like the opposing tribes, can take care of our citizens and communities.

We have followed the very rigorous process of qualifying these lands, satisfying every level of federal approval.

This is not "reservation shopping" at all, but rather "responsible development" that works in the best mutual interest of both Tribe and community. Once completed, the casino will be on "Indian lands" in full accordance with all state and federal laws. It will also generate nearly 4,500 jobs as well as $100 million annually in economic stimulus and $5 million in community funding.

The U.S. Interior Department's positive determination of September 2011 confirmed that the proposed Madera / North Fork casino would be "beneficial to the Tribe" and "not detrimental to the local community." The decision also highlighted the Tribe's historical connection to the site and strong local community support.

We eagerly await Governor Brown's signature which would follow his predecessor in support of the Madera / North Fork project.

So, why do some wealthy tribes distort the truth? Simple -- we are close to final approval and they fear competition.

Former spokesperson for our project (Doug Elmets) who now works for the opposing gaming tribes, dismissed claims back in 2004, saying the opposition was: "simply focused on maintaining a monopoly. What North Fork believes is that a synergy can be created among the casinos that are in the Central Valley so that it creates a tourist destination."

The North Fork Tribe has pursued Indian gaming in a constructive, transparent and collaborative manner with a singular purpose: to build a robust local economy and respectful, effective, self-sufficient modern tribal government.

As we near final approval of our project, negative attacks from other gaming tribes will likely increase. We know opponents have already committed millions of dollars trying to stall or derail our project -- money that could otherwise go to their tribal citizens or communities.

But we're confident that the people of Madera County will keep in mind the goals of the project and its potential to help all citizens of Madera County.

We have always been and will remain good neighbors and citizens of Madera County. The North Fork project is the result of careful planning and approval on the local, state and federal levels and will produce a project that will benefit us all without serious harm to Chukchansi or any other tribe's economic interest.