La. politicians tangle over Indian casino

Guy Coates

Monday, March 4, 2002 | 9:52 a.m.

BATON ROUGE, La. -- Congressman David Vitter acknowledges he is in an "uphill battle" to stop a compact between Gov. Mike Foster and the Jena Band of Choctaws to build another Indian casino.

Vitter, at a news conference last week, said he met with the two top assistants of Interior Secretary Gale Norton for several hours last week, joined in that meeting by Lake Charles officials and Attorney General Richard Ieyoub, who oppose the compact.

"You're finding out who the desperate candidates are for governor," Foster said on his "Live Mike" radio show, referring to Vitter and Ieyoub, dismissing their opposition and that of Lake Charles officials.

"The regular folks aren't upset, just the gambling companies," he added, referring to the riverboat casino operations in Lake Charles, and their backers.

While Vitter, R-Metairie, said the federal officials are looking at the compact in "a very careful, very hard way," he said minutes later that "stopping it is a very uphill battle."

A decision by Interior is expected by the end of this week, Vitter said.

If the compact is approved, the federal department still must decide if the reservation sought by the Jena Band in Vinton is appropriate.

That decision could take two to four years, he said.

Also, Vitter said he expected Lake Charles area officials, worried about the impact of an Indian casino on commercial gambling operations in their city, will file a lawsuit fighting the compact.

The congressman called the Capitol news conference primarily to distribute copies of a letter sent to Norton by more than 20 anti-gambling members of Congress who want the compact denied.

Congressman Chris John, D-Crowley, also got into the act, sending Foster a letter, urging him to withdraw the compact, because of a "lack of public input into the compact's creation."

Vitter called on Foster to disclose the names of any non-tribal person who will profit from a casino.

Vitter said he has heard rumors about who might be profiting, but would not name anyone.

Meanwhile, Vinton-area officials who support a proposed Indian casino in their area traveled to Washington for a Thursday meeting with Interior to give their side of the story.

Vinton Mayor David Riggins said the six-member delegation believes that the Jena Choctaw project will benefit the entire southwestern Louisiana region, already a heavily competitive gambling market.

After secret negotiations, Foster signed a compact with the Jena Choctaws in January. The tribe plans a casino, hotel, golf course and convention center.

The resort would be located closer to the Texas border than the four riverboat casinos in Lake Charles and a reservation casino operated by the Coushattas in Kinder.

Ieyoub said the governor should have consulted with other officials before agreeing to the deal.

"I don't think it was right to just sign this thing without more consultation with the people and more consideration for the economic impact on that area," Ieyoub said.

Ieyoub, who is from Lake Charles, has been asked by opponents to issue an official opinion on the legality of the compact. He said it is in the works.

Foster said the whole reason he started negotiations with the Jena Band is because they first called Ieyoub about a casino and the attorney general advised them to go to the governor.

"The attorney general is now saying that the Jena Band can't come to Calcasieu Parish without a local option election," Foster added. "Well, Allen Parish voted out gaming a long time ago but they still have that Coushatta casino stuck there. If the attorney general is right, why hasn't he gone in to shut them down?"

Earlier in the week, Foster also visited with Norton, who oversees the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Foster said he only spoke briefly with Norton about the casino.

Ieyoub said he met with Norton and tried to emphasize what he called the potentially devastating economic impact that the casino would have on southwestern Louisiana. A study by two McNeese State University economists said the casino could cost state and local governments as much as $72 million in taxes and eliminate up to 800 jobs in the Lake Charles area.

Foster has said he had no choice under federal law but to negotiate with the tribe and tried to cut the best deal possible for the state. The tribe has agreed to pay the state 15.5 percent of its casino profit for teacher pay, and another 6.5 percent to local governments.