Elected officials in the West Valley joined tribal leaders of the Tohono O’odham Nation on Wednesday to voice their support for the development of a casino near 95th and Northern avenues.
The gathering follows recent news that Arizona Department of Gaming Director Dan Bergin would not be approving gaming activity at the facility.
Ned Norris, the tribe’s chairman, said blocking casino operations would cost area communities thousands of jobs and millions of dollars in economic activity. He said the move is political strong-arming by the governor and other state leaders.
"We’re not going to disclose what our next legal effort is going to be," Norris said. "But we have several options that we’re considering at this point."
In a statement released last week, Bergin said he’s concerned about what he called "deceptive behavior" by the tribe. He said the tribe did not disclose its plans for the casino when negotiating a state gaming compact in 2002.
Updated 4/22/2015 at 2:46 p.m.
