TALKING POLITICS CARCIERI WINS -- FOR NOW -- IN CASINO DEBATE BY IAN DONNIS

Although the state Supreme Court advisory opinion that scuttled this year’s casino referendum stands as a political victory for Governor Donald L. Carcieri, time will tell whether it’s anything more than one skirmish in a long battle.

As the Providence Sunday Journal reported this week, Joseph S. Larisa Jr., the chief of staff to former governor Lincoln Almond, had what proved to be a compelling argument – that the General Assembly’s casino bill was unconstitutional since it placed the planned Narragansett Indian casino outside of state control. Casino proponents cried foul after their setback, and now seem prepared to redouble their efforts, possibly seeking to amend the state Constitution.

Although the Supreme Court decision could create an opening for renewed dialogue to address the tribe’s quest for economic development, although no talks are scheduled and such efforts have gone nowhere in the past. For the administration’s part, Carcieri spokesman Jeff Neal says, "The governor is always happy to discuss economic development issues with the Narragansett Indian tribe. Up until now, the casino issue has been a major obstacle, and it’s not clear that last week’s decision has completely removed that obstacle."

Indeed, although Narragansett chief sachem Matthew Thomas sounded not unlike a long-suffering Red Sox fan resigned to the team’s perennial also-ran status in discussing the court decision ("It was nothing new," he told WPRO-AM’s Dan Yorke last week. "It was just a matter of how it was going to happen."), Harrah’s Entertainment and other casino backers seem eager to forge ahead. Meanwhile, the issue of whether voters should decide the casino issue remains under debate. After a previous referendum was turned down in 1994, proponents cite another vote as a matter of democracy, while opponents say elected officials have been put into place to decide such things.

Some observers suggest that the casino issue might be settled once and for all if the state, for example, were to offer the Narragansetts a percentage of the video slot revenue from betting parlors in Lincoln and Newport. For now, however, this seems like a remote prospect.

After General Assembly Democrats reasserted their control on Smith Hill by overriding in late July Carcieri’s second consecutive budget veto, the Supreme Court’s casino decision and the withering away of former lawmaker Vincent J. Mesolella’s state-subsidized hotel project constitute significant victories for the governor on two of three big issues. With Republicans mounting their most serious quest in years to gain legislative seats in the November election, Carcieri has proved himself a far more muscular political presence than his GOP successor. Still, Rhode Island’s casino skirmishes seem far from over, and without a sustained effort to bring about a real two-party state, time will remain on the Democrats’ side.

In years past, legislators steadily rebuffed the Narragansetts’ effort to get a casino referendum on the ballot. With this tide having turned, the governor remains the tribe’s main opponent.