[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 199 (Thursday, December 14, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2359-E2360]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               MAYOR TIERNEY DEFENDS NEW BEDFORD ECONOMY

                                 ______


                           HON. BARNEY FRANK

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 13, 1995

  Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts. Mr. Speaker, I have been disappointed 
recently to read a number of very uninformed attacks on Indian-run 
casinos. A number of people have extrapolated from their own personal 
opposition to gambling to make unfounded criticisms of Indian casinos, 
to denigrate the very important economic advantages these casinos have 
represented for American Indians and to inaccurately claim that they 
have been a source of legal problems. In addition, in some cases 
casinos can be a very important source of economic opportunity for 
people in addition to Indians who live in areas which have suffered 
economic losses beyond their control.
  One such area is the city of New Bedford, MA, which I am privileged 
to represent in Congress. The proposal to establish a casino run by the 
Wampanoag Tribe in New Bedford has been overwhelmingly supported by the 
people of that city, who recently voted for it by a 3-to-1 margin in a 
referendum. It has unfortunately been the subject of a good deal of 
unfounded criticism. I was therefore very pleased to read in the Boston 
Globe for December 12 a very well argued essay by New Bedford Mayor 
Rosemary Tierney, in which she states the case for allowing New Bedford 
and the Wampanoag Tribe to go forward with this casino in very 
persuasive terms.
  I have worked closely with Mayor Tierney, with labor representatives, 
with business leaders, and with a wide range of citizens to support 
economic development for New Bedford. All of these groups share the 
mayor's and my opinion that the casino is a very important part of this 
effort. The very hard working people of New Bedford have been hit by 
unfavorable international trade trends, and by the conservation driven 
restrictions on fishing. As we deal with these issues, we agree that 
the economic development that would result from the casino is essential 
in our effort to overcome the negative effects of these other trends. 
As the mayor notes in her well-documented and thoughtful essay,

       New Bedford does not look upon gaming as a cure-all or 
     quick fix for the local economy. The impact of the casino 
     falls in two categories: employment and tax revenues. New 
     jobs create new earnings and new spending. New spending, in 
     turn, increases demands on suppliers, vendors, merchants, 
     contractors. Thus new jobs create the need for yet more 
     employment throughout the economy.
  Mr. Speaker, because Mayor Tierney speaks with great authority on the 
need for economic development in the city of New Bedford, and because 
on this issue in particular she articulates a viewpoint that is shared 
by virtually all of us who are seriously concerned within the New 
Bedford area about economic improvement, and because the merits of 
Indian-run gambling operations are now a subject of some debate in this 
body, I ask the Mayor Tierney's article from the Boston Globe of 
Tuesday, December 12 be printed here.

                 [From the Boston Globe, Dec. 12, 1995]

                    Gaming and New Bedford's Future

                        (By Rosemary S. Tierney)

       The City of New Bedford is not unique among older New 
     England cities when considering the economic challenges it is 
     confronting as the 21st century approaches. As mayor of this 
     proud and historic city, I believe it is unique in 
     demonstrating a frank willingness to acknowledge those 
     challenges and to develop a systematic, long-term plan for 
     overcoming them.
       Throughout its long history, New Bedford has been bound to 
     both national and international economic trends. Whaling and 
     shipbuilding dominated the local economy in the early and 
     mid-1800s. As the whaling industry declined, textiles became 
     the dominant industry. Companies with such household names as 
     Hathaway and Wamsutta made New Bedford their corporate homes. 
     The manufacturing base was broadened by glass and metal-
     working factories, such as Revere Copper and Pairpoint Glass. 
     In more recent times, the city's economic fate returned to 
     the sea. For several years, New Bedford was the nation's No. 
     1 fishing port in the dollar value of its fleet's catch. New 
     Bedford also became a site for quality needle trade 
     industries, Polaroid, Aerovox and the Acushnet Co.'s Titleist 
     golf ball plant.
       Today New Bedford faces a challenge from the continuing 
     decline in manufacturing, coupled with a fishing industry in 
     crisis. These factors may be beyond local control, but the 
     city can have an impact on the regional economic environment 
     by employing its potential resources to maximum advantage.
       Let me cite a few of those advantages being developed in 
     New Bedford: a harbor with potential to handle increased 
     shipping traffic; a location close to major transportation 
     routes; and airport with a foreign trade zone and plans for a 
     $30 million expansion; a coastal resource laboratory and 
     aquaculture center at the University of Massachusetts at 
     Dartmouth. In addition, plans 

[[Page E2360]]
     are in the works for establishment of a New Bedford national park and a 
     commuter-rail link to Boston.
       These projects are being over-shadowed today by the debate 
     over casino gaming in Massachusetts and, in particular, the 
     Wampanoag proposals to develop a casino/-entertainment 
     complex in New Bedford. Critics argue that gaming will only 
     provide short-term economic gains, while the cost to society 
     in regulation, diversion of funds, crime and related social 
     problems will outweigh the benefits. Implicit in these 
     arguments is that New Bedford is susceptible to promises by 
     developers of a better tomorrow because of the plight of its 
     local economy. Nothing could be further from the truth.
       The Wampanoag gaming proposal is the most comprehensive 
     economic development initiative in the history of 
     southeastern Massachusetts. It will provide some 5,000 jobs 
     (plus 3,000 construction and temporary jobs), spur tourism, 
     generate millions of dollars in revenues for the state and 
     cities and towns, and allow Massachusetts vendors the 
     opportunity to contract for services and goods to support the 
     gaming and entertainment complex.
       This is not just a New Bedford issue. It is a Worcester 
     issue, a Springfield issue, a Fall River issue, a Taunton 
     issue, a Brockton issue, a Lowell issue. It is an issue each 
     mayor understands: job creation and economic development go 
     hand-in-hand. New jobs can give hope and opportunity to 
     thousands of hard working men and women--and can help build a 
     stronger economic future for generations to come.
       New Bedford does not look upon gaming as a cure-all or 
     quick fix for the local economy. The impact of the casino 
     falls in two categories: employment and tax revenues. New 
     jobs create new earning and new spending. New spending in 
     turn increases the demands on suppliers, vendor, merchants, 
     contractors. Thus new jobs create the need for yet more 
     employment throughout the economy.
       If the local unemployment rate of 9.3 percent can be 
     reduced to the statewide average of 5.1 percent, business in 
     New Bedford and the area will certainly benefit. It has been 
     the failure to reduce unemployment through new or expanded 
     industry that has plagued this area for years. The Wampanoag 
     project offers the city the opportunity to couple the project 
     to other initiative, such as the harbor, airport and rail, to 
     make them a reality.
       It is estimated 25 percent of the gross revenue at the 
     Foxwoods casino in Connecticut comes from Massachusetts 
     residents. Those are revenues that leave this state by the 
     busload every day. As Congress shifts federal 
     responsibilities to the states, I urge the Legislature not to 
     reject revenue sources that will be sorely needed in the not-
     too-distant future. Twenty-three states across the nation are 
     beneficiaries of 130 compacts with 115 tribes. Massachusetts 
     would not be reinventing the wheel.
       Aside from minimizing or dismissing the economic potential 
     of gaming, opponents employ the strategy of fear based upon 
     threats of increased crime. As mayor of the host community, I 
     am mindful of this threat. But there is no better prevention 
     for crime than a job. The Wampanoag tribe not only supports 
     strong regulation and has indicated a willingness to find its 
     cost, it has encouraged the Legislature to maintain strict 
     oversight over the new regulatory agency to ensure that it is 
     composed of top professionals with knowledge of accounting 
     and law enforcement. Instead of attempting to undermine a 
     proposal legitimately put forward under federal law that will 
     benefit this state and its people with economic 
     opportunities, law enforcement personnel and prosecutors 
     should insist the Gaming Commission be staffed by people who 
     will have impeccable reputations and integrity and be 
     supported by a staff adequate to meet the job.
       The task of rebuilding New Bedford and the region is vital 
     to southeastern Massachusetts. The Legislature has an 
     opportunity to make an important contribution to this effort 
     by approving the compact between the state and the Wampanoag 
     tribe. The area has always had an enormous potential for 
     economic growth and development. The gaming/entertainment 
     complex offers New Bedford a catalyst for the full economic 
     recovery. I urge the Legislature to approve the compact 
     expeditiously and to avoid arguments that seem more focused 
     on scoring short-term political points than on seeking 
     pragmatic solutions to bring to this state a well regulated 
     and managed gaming industry.

                          ____________________