Chapter gambling on jobs
Church Rock president sees casino as a boon to impoverished community

By Zsombor Peter
Staff Writer

GALLUP — To Johnny Livingston, the tribal casino Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley Jr. wants to build in Church Rock means one thing: jobs.

These days there's not much work to be had in Church Rock, a sleepy pocket of the Navajo Nation just east of Gallup tucked in between the sandstone mesas of Red Rock Park and Interstate 40. But for a small public school, a lonely gas station, a few manufacturing operations and a handful of government offices, most of the community's roughly 2,800 residents have no choice but to find work elsewhere.

"A lot of our people travel out of town for work, to places like Window Rock and Crownpoint," said Livingston, the community's chapter president.

Those are the ones who have jobs to go to. Livingston said he had no exact figures for Church Rock, "but it's probably over 50 percent unemployment; I'd say maybe even 60."

The average unemployment rate across the reservation tends to hover between 40 and 50 percent.

For Church Rock, a new casino holds the promise of not only jobs, but jobs close to home.

"We need jobs out here," Livingston said. "That's what it comes to."

Neither he nor the president's office knows exactly how many jobs they're talking about. The tribe's plans aren't that far along yet.

The last feasibility study the tribe commissioned of 11 potential sites for a tribal casino recommends a "relatively small" operation for the Gallup area.

"The large number of gaming facilities west of, and within, Albuquerque," it reads, "will provide direct competition."

"We're thinking of something like Dancing Eagle," Livingston said. "It could be a little bigger than that."

Michelle Dotson, legal counsel for the Office of the President and Vice President, said the tribe's preliminary plans call for a 27,000-square-foot facility. But whatever measurements they settle on, she added, will depend on what the site can handle.

The site Shirley has picked sits inside the chapter's industrial park, land it's set aside exclusively for business development, between the interstate and railroad tracks. It's tribal trust land, Dotson said, which gives the Navajo Nation exclusive jurisdiction; however, it still needs a lease agreement with the tribe's Eastern Regional Business Development Office. Dotson says it's in the works.

City surprised
The tribe has also begun preliminary discussions with the City of Gallup.

Glen Benefield, the city's economic development director, met with Charlene Begaye-Platero, director of the tribe's regional business development office, about a week ago. At the time, he had no idea they were talking about a casino. Begaye-Platero, he said, spoke only vaguely about "recreational" plans. He didn't put the two together until he read about Shirley's announcement in the press.

Under pressure from impatient tribal delegates, Shirley named Church Rock his pick for the Navajo Nation's first casino to be built within six months late last week.

Down the line, Dotson said, the tribe will probably be asking for the city's help to put the necessary infrastructure in place, from roads to water lines.

The Manuelito Chapter, Gallup's neighbor to the west, did the same thing two years ago while in the midst of its own casino dreams. City officials obliged and started talks with the chapter. But lacking any support from Window Rock, the chapter's plans slowly died away, and its talks with the city with them.

"I haven't heard anything (from Manuelito) in a year," said City Manager Eric Honeyfield.

Whether City Hall gets behind plans for a casino in Church Rock, he said, will depend on the mood of the next administration. Two new councilors were elected March 6. A new mayor will be chosen Tuesday.

Cite access
For one thing, the city could help talk the state into building a new off-ramp for I-40 right in front of Church Rock. There's an off-ramp a couple miles or so down the road already, and the president's office seems to think that's enough. City and chapter officials have their doubts. All the casinos between Gallup and Albuquerque have off-ramps at their front doors. Will I-40 travelers make the extra effort for Church Rock?

Meanwhile, Gallup has its own off-ramp agenda. It's already after state money to build a new interchange between I-40 and Highway 66 on the west end of town. State funds for a Church Rock interchange would have to come from the same pot, Honeyfield said, so the two projects could end up competing against one another. The city might have to decide which one to push for.

Catch-22On the one hand, Honeyfield said, a casino would create jobs and attract visitors. On the other, more money lost at the gambling table could mean less money spent shopping in Gallup.

"Gaming is a very contentious issue. There are very few people on the fence," he said. "Just as the Navajo Nation is divided on gaming, I'm sure the (City Council) and our city electorate would be divided."

The same goes for Church Rock. Back in February of 2005, the chapter approved a resolution in support of a local casino by a lopsided vote of 35 to 7. But when the subject came up during chapter meeting last Sunday, Chapter Coordinator Alice Largo said, those for and against were much more evenly split.

Livingston says opponents are worried about the social problems a casino might come with; however, he's willing to take the risk.

"It goes with the business," he said. "Anything you develop, the social problems will be there."

Livingston said he is personally more worried about what the community could miss out on if a casino doesn't come.

"It's an opportunity," he said. "If we let this one go, we might not get another one."