BA Mayor: City And Creek Nation Agree To Share Information On Red Clay Casino

Broken Arrow Mayor Mike Lester spoke to the media Wednesday saying he met with Creek Nation Chief George Tiger earlier in the day about the Red Clay Casino development by the Kialegee Tribe.

Lester said the tribe and the city of Broken Arrow agreed to share all information each has about the project, but said there was no agreement between the two governments to oppose the Red Clay Casino.

He said there were no definite statements made in the meeting about what either side intends to do.

Lester said the City of Broken Arrow was waiting on word from the Attorney General's office on how to proceed before providing services to the location of the planned casino.

Vice Mayor Craig Thurmond said the meeting, a first between a tribal government and Broken Arrow leaders, would open up a new avenue to communicate about potential developments by the Creek Nation.

Lester said the Creeks "reiterated that there are other tribal restricted lands in Broken Arrow, that the City of Broken Arrow has no jurisdiction within those boundaries, but they certainly have an interest in keeping us well informed of what they're doing, not just with this particular situation, but anything that happens on those restricted lands that lies in the City of Broken Arrow."

Lester said Broken Arrow has still had no communication with the Kialegee Tribe.

1/17/2012 Related Story: Broken Arrow City Council Seeks Help From Oklahoma AG In Casino Battle