An April 14 op-ed from Hearst Connecticut Media:

If you’re looking for the definitive issue of Not In My Backyard (NIMBY) in Connecticut, consider the plight of the tribes.

The Schaghticoke Indian tribe is the latest to seek federal recognition. Kent town leaders are against it. If the effort gains traction, expect city leaders to gain support from the likes of U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., as well as other Connecticut municipalities.

Here’s the catch – it’s not really Kent’s backyard in the first place.

The Schaghticokes were on the land before the settlers named the town after the county in England around 1737. But the current rulers of Kent adamantly oppose the Schaghticokes’ petition to the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

“Within maybe two weeks of receiving federal recognition, (the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation in Ledyard) opened a bingo hall and now you have a huge gaming center, hotel, entertainment – ​​all kinds of activities “said Jeff Sienkiewicz, Kent’s special counsel on the Schaghticoke cases.

These are “all kinds of activities” that the opposition is afraid of. An effort to build another casino would result in reliable blowback, even as Connecticut embraces legal sports betting and lottery revenue.

Schaghticoke’s commercial director, William Buchanan, counters that a Kent casino is not in the cards. This does not preclude taking advantage of reconnaissance rights to locate a complex elsewhere in the state. Three years ago, Buchanan told Hearst Connecticut Media that he was meeting with “every major casino operator in the world.”

Kent has dealt with this before. The Schaghticoke Tribal Nation, a different faction of the tribe, gained federal recognition before being revoked in 2005. It continued construction of a casino with financial backing from Subway restaurant founder Fred DeLuca, who grew in Bridgeport.

Another federal overthrow ruined the casino’s plans for the Eastern Pequots in North Stonington, forcing future President Donald Trump to file a lawsuit to get his money back.

During this battle Kent hired lobbyists and groups such as Town Action to Save Kent opposed. Blumenthal, then Connecticut’s attorney general, led the crusade as Danbury, Waterbury and Bridgeport were identified as possible casino sites.

Blumenthal met with executives from Westport, Norwalk, Stamford, Fairfield, Ridgefield, Newtown, Wilton, Weston, Monroe, Orange and Trumbull. Bridgeport officials differed, saying they wanted to host a casino.

Not only did Blumenthal and Co. get what they wanted, but the decision means the Schaghticoke Tribal Nation will never be able to apply again.

Which makes it a bet for the chiefs of the Schaghticoke Indian tribe. They built a case for decades, but only got one chance.

Kent is a small town of just over 3,000 people. One such resident is Henry Kissinger, who served as Secretary of State under President Richard Nixon at a time when Nixon made great strides toward tribal self-reliance.

Fears of upheaval in rural Kent are understandable. But Connecticut leaders should also remember not to treat modern Native Americans as enemies.

They should also remember that the final decision will be made by the US Department of the Interior.

In other words, what happens in the backyard is not up to them.