By Dan Kennedy • The press, politics, technology, culture and other passions

Today’s casino update

Except for major developments, this should be the last one for a while.

  • The video from yesterday’s “NewsNight” is now online.
  • The Cape Cod Times interviews new tribal chairman Shawn Hendricks. More to the point, the paper reports that about 150 dissident tribal members are moving ahead with an effort to recall the entire leadership, including Hendricks.
  • According to the Boston Daily blog, the casino money guys never did a background check on disgraced former tribal chairman Glenn Marshall. According to the Times, they won’t do one on Hendricks, either.
  • Peter Kenney has a moving account of Monday night’s tribal meeting, and of the return to the fold of the five members whom Marshall had ordered “shunned.”

Finally, Steven Bingham, a formerly shunned member who is adopting a high profile in the wake of Marshall’s implosion, says something very intriguing, according to The Enterprise of Brockton. Reporter Alice Elwell writes:

He said the federal land trust for a reservation could be in jeopardy if any illegal acts are uncovered.

“Everything has to be questioned at this point,” Bingham said.

Bingham said he does not want to stop a casino, but the contract with Middleboro only benefits the investors, “not the tribe, not Middleboro.”

Presumably nothing can be done about that without voiding the agreement with Middleborough and starting over. Isn’t that interesting?

Update: I missed this, but Bingham has already said that if the recall of tribal leaders succeeds, the agreement with Middleborough is null and void. And let’s not forget that three of the five selectmen are facing recall next month.

A disclosure: I’ve accepted an invitation to speak at a fundraising event being organized by Casinofacts.org, the anti-casino group in Middleborough. It hasn’t been scheduled yet, but I thought I should disclose that immediately. For the record, there’s no speaking fee.


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6 Comments

  1. mike_b1

    The September Boston Magazine has a feature on Marshall. Looks like it went to print just a little too soon. And despite the title, it meanders aimlessly from Marshall to the history of the tribe; the latter gets the bulk of the attention.

  2. Don (no longer) Fluffy

    Whatever happened to “proud Native Americans?” Casinos?

  3. endangered coffee

    Let me know when you’re speaking. I’ll stop by and say hello.

  4. Anonymous

    If the tribe’s members satisfy themselves that Marshall did not follow correct procedure as established by their constitution they will almost certainly move to void any and all contracts he signed as head of the tribal council. This does not involve what the dummies on television are calling a splinter group…this involves a large number of respected members of the tribe. Glenn Marshall is the tip of the iceberg. The Boston magazine piece is a joke. The man they identify as the Wampanoag chief has not been chief since 1973.Peter Kenney

  5. Anonymous

    Dan, whats your beef with casinos? I dont hear you rail against the lottery? I see poor fools sitting in corner stores, watching a little screen with KENO numbers flashing all day long! Dont these people deserve to be saved by you? Rail against the lottery and the casinos and you might actually have some credibility on this issue! I for one cant wait to have some fun for once in this state, a little blackjack, a nice cocktail, maybe catch a show! Why is it that Boston is sooooo boring?

  6. Reddi

    Selectmen are reacting cautiously to a request from CasinoFacts.org to run a fundraising yard sale this summer on town property.

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