CASE STUDIES

Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community

Challenge

Landry-Creedon was initially hired in the summer of 1995 after Arizona Governor Fife Symington denied a gaming compact to the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community (SRPMIC). SRPMIC was the only Arizona tribe wanting a gaming compact to be denied by the State. Landry-Creedon was challenged with developing a comprehensive, strategic plan for outreach and advocacy that would expand and maintain the tribe’s visibility and its relationships at the federal, state and local levels and protect the tribe’s sovereign right to game. Following the resolution of this challenge, the firm was asked to continue to represent the Community to ensure that its long-term goals would be met.

Strategy

After reviewing all options, Landry-Creedon and the SRPMIC determined that a statewide initiative was the most effective tool for securing a gaming compact with the State of Arizona. This was a daring strategy because, at that time, no tribe had successfully passed such an initiative. Landry-Creedon put together a stellar consultant team to cover all aspects of a ballot initiative. The plan included coordinated and extensive polling, media development and placement, and fundraising. As part of its strategy, Landry-Creedon worked with the Community to develop a good neighbor program that integrated sophisticated polling information and used third party testimonials to create more statewide support for the tribe. With the support of the Community, the firm also developed a strategic and successful outreach program that brought key public and private decision makers into the campaign. The statewide initiative passed convincingly.

Following this success, with the Community, Landry-Creedon assists in outreach and good neighbor programs to help expand recognition and influence of the Community locally and nationally. With the guidance of the Community leadership, Landry-Creedon develops federal and state legislative plans and integrates the Community’s political contributions and community relations strategies to maximize impact, including staffing a comprehensive revenue sharing grant program.

Advocacy

To ensure that the Community’s messages continue to be heard, with direction from Community leadership, Landry-Creedon may serve as a facilitator or spokesperson with government officials or opinion leaders. The firm, with Mr. Landry as key negotiator, continues to represent the Community’s interests on gaming compacts. At the federal and state levels, the firm tracks and monitors legislation that could impact the Community, and may draft legislation, prepare testimony and lobby Congress and the Arizona State legislature on behalf of the SRPMIC. At the federal level, the firm facilitates and staffs meetings with elected Congressional Leaders, Agency Directors and key staff members of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Department of the Interior, Solicitor’s Office and Corps of Engineers. At the state level, Landry-Creedon presents the Community’s positions to the Governor, Governor's key staff and Directors of State Agencies including the legislature, and the Departments of Gaming, Environmental Quality and Water Resources.

Results

The successful partnership with Community leadership and Landry-Creedon has resulted in the passage of two successful statewide ballot gaming initiatives (1996 and 2002). These initiatives have significantly assisted the Community in positioning itself to meet its overall objectives of self-sufficiency. Federal legislation has been introduced and signed into law that benefits the Community, including the transfer of ownership and operation of irrigation canals on the reservation from BIA to the Tribe, accelerated depreciation for development on Community lands, federal unemployment insurance benefits for equity of treatment to the Tribe, the ability to include a binding arbitration clause in all contracts affecting land within the SRPMIC reservation, trust management, self management and numerous federal appropriations.