Tribes trump city in quest for economic development

As city leaders continue to position Maricopa for success in the battle for new businesses and their accompany-ing jobs, they face diverse competition from two neighbors with large cash accounts and decades more experi-ence: the Ak-Chin and Gila River Indian Communities. The scenario is not unique to Maricopa, however. “Municipalities and states are not used to having to compete with tribal communities for economic development projects, but they are a real and viable player; and the sooner government entities realize it, the better,” said Joe Kalt, director of Harvard University’s project on American Indian Economic Development. The concept of commercial development for the Gila River Indian Community, Maricopa’s neighbor to the north and east, began in the late 1960s, but projects didn’t materialize until much later. “We had plans early on, but we were not able to start to act on them until we started gaming on the tribal lands and had some money available to start investing in development,” said the community’s treasurer, Arthur Felder.

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