Delahunt To Lobby For Mashpee Wampanoags
BOSTON (AP) -- Former U.S. Rep. William Delahunt has been hired by the Mashpee Wampanoags to lobby on behalf of the tribe at the state and federal levels, including in efforts to open a casino in Massachusetts.
Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Chairman Cedric Cromwell said in a statement Thursday that the relationship is a natural extension of Delahunt's advocacy while representing the tribe in Congress from 1997 until earlier this year. The Democrat, also former Norfolk district attorney, did not run for re-election.
Delahunt said the tribe's dealings with the government have been marked by "bureaucracy, impasse, inertia, and sometimes outright hostility" and he is proud to represent them.
Wampanoag efforts to build a resort-style casino in Middleborough and Fall River in recent years have stalled. The state Legislature has still not approved casinos.
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