Pueblo – Tired of feeling like they’re being shut out of discussions on a $100 million American Indian casino plan, anti-casino activists are contemplating pushing the issue to a citywide vote.
“We’re very concerned the citizens of Pueblo haven’t had a voice in this,” said Alvin Rivera, vice president of the opposition group Citizen Action for a Prosperous and Healthy Pueblo.
The group met in Pueblo on Saturday to decide whether to move ahead with plans for a special election, although no announcement was made. They plan to hold a public meeting on the issue next month.
They would need about 1,780 registered voters to sign a petition asking for a special election under city rules, said Nick Gradisar, the group’s attorney.
At the center of the fight is a proposal by the Cheyenne-Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma to build a casino on the city’s tourist-oriented Arkansas Riverwalk. The most likely site is 5 acres directly across from the convention center.
The casino is seen by proponents as an economic generator that could bring 1,000 jobs and $10 million in annual revenues. Opponents say the casino would bring increased crime, traffic, noise and social addictions.They also fear not being able to regulate a sovereign American Indian nation.
Before a casino can be built, the downtown lot would need to be designated a reservation under a complex approval process that includes the U.S. Department of Interior and a vote from Congress, said Nedra Darling, a U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs spokeswoman.
Community support must be demonstrated in that process, but a public vote is not required.
At the request of the project developer, the Pueblo City Council and county commissioners recently approved letters supporting the casino, despite residents who turned out to express their opposition.
Those decisions bolstered the ranks of the opposition group, organizers said, which initially developed after a few people started circulating anti-casino petitions at churches.
“When we found out we were getting railroaded, we just started calling each other,” said casino opponent Kathie Fanning, 57.
The opposition group also has received financial help from the Colorado Gaming Association, which represents gambling interests in Central City, Black Hawk and Cripple Creek, said Mike Feeley, a spokesman and legal counsel for the association. He declined to say how much the gaming industry donated.
“Yes, the gaming association contributed money, but they weren’t the first dollar in the door,” Feeley said. “I know the group did ask us for some help, and I know we’ve done it, but I don’t know how much.”
Focus on the Family has offered help but not money, said Chad Hills, analyst for gambling research at the Colorado
Springs-based evangelical ministry.
The tribes, with historical ties to Colorado, are working with Council Tree Communications to bring the matter before the Interior Department, according to casino developer Steve Hillard.
Hillard said he plans to continue trying to garner community support that he hopes will convince Colorado’s congressional delegation to support the project.
Sen. Wayne Allard, R-Colo., has said that the people of Colorado should vote on the plan.
Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo., “remains skeptical of the project,” said spokesman Cody Wertz.
Rep. John Salazar, D-Manassa, whose district includes Pueblo, has not taken a position and “is still welcoming public comment on the project,” said spokeswoman Nayyera Haq.
In coming weeks, Council Tree will renew claims with the Interior Department on behalf of the Cheyenne-Arapaho tribes to 27 million acres in Colorado.The tribe is willing to give up that claim in exchange for the reservation site in downtown Pueblo.
The land claim was rejected a year ago when the tribes wanted to build a casino on 500 acres near Denver International Airport. The Interior Department ruled then that the claim was settled with the tribes for $15 million in 1965.
But much has changed since last year, Hillard said. Legislation approved in August making the site of the 1864 Sand Creek massacre near Eads into a national historic site is acknowledgment that the tribes have additional legitimate claims in Colorado, he said.
“Congress moved the ball down the field in approving that. Congress has recognized the tribes’ status as in-state tribes with a historical presence in Colorado,” he said.
In addition, Hillard said, the letters from Pueblo officials demonstrate the project has “clear community support.”
But opponents say the best place to gauge Pueblo residents’ views on the casino is at the ballot box.
“We are passionate about this,” said Richard Hijar, a financial company owner and one of the opposition group’s core members. “We want to get out the other 100,000 people in this city to vote. If they like it, we’ll accept that.”
Denver Post staff writer Dave Curtin contributed to this report.
