Two months removed from office, former Congressman William Delahunt has signed on to represent the 2,000-member Mashpee Wampanoag tribe, which has long been in the mix as a potential casino developer, at the federal and state levels, the State House News Service reported.
An attorney and former Norfolk County district attorney, Delahunt will represent the tribe as chairman of the Delahunt Group.
In a statement, Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Chairman Cedric Cromwell described the hire as a “natural extension” of Delahunt’s advocacy of the tribe as a member of Congress for 14 years. The tribe was officially recognized by the federal government in 2007. “The history of this Tribe’s dealings with our government is replete with bureaucracy, impasse, inertia, and sometimes outright hostility,” Delahunt said in a statement. “The Tribe has rights as a sovereign nation, and more importantly, treating them with respect and helping them achieve self-sufficiency is simply the right thing to do.”
The Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) is also pursuing a casino in Massachusetts putting it in direct competition with the Mashpee tribe.
Last month, the Prime Policy Group, a Washington D.C.-based policy and government affairs firm helmed by chairman Charlie Black and president and CEO R. Scott Pastrick, announced a business development alliance with Delahunt focused on advising American companies about establishing themselves in foreign countries and as a connection to the U.S. market.
