Today, Friday, September 12, 2014 at 1 PM two Political Action Committees (PACs), NO MORE BAD DEALS FOR GLENDALE and RESPECT THE PROMISE, chaired by local resident Gary Hirsch, will turn in to the Glendale City Clerk approximately 15,000 signatures in opposition to the Glendale City Council’s recent votes regarding the Tohono O’odham (TO) casino. The minimum number of signatures required by law on each measure is 6,956 and the PACs have far surpassed that number by almost double. Expect the city to fight them with every fiber of its being by declaring the council votes to be “administrative actions” not subject to referral to the voters. Expect after that to see the issue wind up in the courts. On August 12, 2014 at its regular city council meeting the council approved two actions related to the Tohono O’odham. Agenda item 36 by council’s majority vote (Alvarez, Sherwood, Hugh and Chavira) approved a settlement (read contract) with the TO. The settlement terms are embarrassing. The deal is so bad it’s as if the council had accepted a dollar from the TO and called it good. One of the petitions being submitted this afternoon is for the purpose of bringing the settlement before Glendale voters to accept or reject. In agenda item 37 the city council voted in the affirmative to support the creation of an Indian reservation. This action is the cherry on top of the cake for the TO. They need Glendale’s support desperately to show the Feds that the host city within which the reservation is located is in favor of their action. The second petition seeks to bring before the Glendale voters the majority vote of council (Alvarez, Sherwood, Hugh and Chavira) that supports a reservation within Glendale’s boundaries. All of these council votes are for the benefit of a Tribe that:
- Violated a 2000 agreement signed by 16 state Tribal leaders, including the Tohono O’odham, vowing “to strive for a good-faith cooperative relationship between and among themselves.”
- Created a corporation in 2000 chartered by the TO actively seeking land in the Phoenix Metro area for the “possibility of doing a casino” prior to the 2002 statewide vote on the Gaming Compact.
- Looked it sister Tribal leaders in the face and lied to them.
- Actively promoted and financially contributed to the campaign in support of Proposition 202, the Tribal Gaming Compact, promising voters that there would be no new casinos in the Phoenix Metro area.
- Actively participated in the election campaigns of sitting councilmembers who voted for these agenda items through the TO’s independent expenditures for campaign mailers in support of these council persons. Expect them to do the same in this election cycle. These four elected officials owe the TO and they know it.
These majority council votes by Alvarez, Sherwood, Hugh and Chavira stink to high heaven. Were these four elected officials acting in the best interests of Glendale? You can decide for yourselves but I think not. If and when these council votes come before you, the voter, you will have an opportunity to reject these council votes and send a strong message to these councilmembers that “back door” deals will not be tolerated. There are still actions that have not been settled…legal decisions not yet rendered and legislation introduced by Senators McCain and Flake awaiting a full Senate vote up or down. The Tohono O’odham are making a million dollar bet that nothing will stop them. They could end up losing that bet. Remember, it’s not over until the fat lady sings and she hasn’t sung…yet. © Joyce Clark, 2014 FAIR USE NOTICE This site contains copyrighted material the use of which is in accordance with Title 17 U.S. C., Section 107. The material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democratic, scientific and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in Section 107 of the US Copyright Law and who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond ‘fair use,’ you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
The fat lady has already sung. The casino will be built, regardless of all this legal posturing…these are just delay tactics. Gary Hirsch is wasting his time. The opposition to this is something like 0-13 on their legal challenges. It will be approved by the feds.
I am not in favor of Indian gaming…anywhere… but the fact of the matter is that it is already here, and Glendale might as well make the best of it. They did not negotiate a very good deal…most municipalities that have done this have gotten 10-25% of annual revenue from the tribe they work with…but remember…the TO don’t have to give Glendale ANYTHING…at least the City has negotiated some revenue stream from them…better than nothing at all. People opposed to this just need to give it up…it is going to happen…make the best of it and move on.
Michael Bidwill, the Coyotes and the spring training facilities are a much bigger pain in ass to Glendale than the TO’s ever will be…the city and the voters of Glendale should be focusing their concerns on those issues. The TO’s aren’t going to cost the City anything…do you hear Scottsdale, Fountain Hills, Chandler, and Phoenix bitching about their tribal casinos? Or Camp Verde, Globe, Tucson, Prescott, Ajo, Maricopa, Flagstaff, Pinetop – Lakeside, Parker or Payson? Nope…only Glendale…and it isn’t even built. I am glad that I am retired and don’t have to deal with the pettiness that exists in Glendale any more. It really is sickening.
Interesting that I, half jokingly, made the suggestion at a Chamber meeting that we should look at finding tribal land somewhere (hopefully Glendale) in the West Valley for a casino in 1998. I was laughed at. Guess what goes around comes around.
I am shocked that Mr Rinehart believes it is in the city’s interest to allow a foreign nation to exist within the borders of the city of Glendale, a foreign nation controlled by a small group of people who have no loyalty to, and who are not elected by, the citizens of Glendale. As most people do, he conveniently avoids the real issue, the foreign nation, in favor of the emotional issue, the casino. Other locations in Arizona are not impacted with the presence of a foreign nation within its borders. Other tribes have maintained their historical sites as locations for reservations. If this proposal becomes realized, there is no guarantee, and there is no appeal, if the nation decides to negate their deal with Glendale. The nation has already negated the agreement they signed with Arizona and the other Arizona tribes before the voters approved proposition 202. They are not bound to support any agreement they may sign. They are not bound to follow the city’s codes. They will have no city police or fire or utility services; they pay no taxes. No one at the casino can be assured that the water they drink will be free of contamination. Will the tribe drill for water and take the supply of effluent which Glendale has been storing for times of emergency? Will the tribe build to a height to impact the airport? How much more traffic will be generated to require more patrol and more maintenance costs for the city taxpayers? Is it of no importance that the voters of Glendale have voted to approve a general plan for this area which does not include a sovereign nation? Is it of no importance that this tribe secretly bought private land using the laws and regulations of the United States, but now refuses to abide by those same laws and regulations? The tribe’s proposal will have no benefit to Glendale in terms of taxes, for the tribe is exempt from taxes. The tribe’s proposal will have very little benefit if any, from jobs created because of the federal government’s requirement that employees be tribal members. The tribe’s promises to council members about contributing to the economy of Glendale is as false as their previous promises and signed agreements. This land was bought and paid for by a private corporation, and it should remain private land, subject to any and all rules and regulations required of neighboring sites.