Cedric Cromwell: Difference between revisions
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Revision as of 19:56, 19 July 2011
Cedric Cromwell | |
|---|---|
| File:Cedric Cromwell Chair.jpg Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Council Chairman | |
| Born | Cedric D. Cromwell 1965 Boston, MA |
| Other names | Running Bear, ‘Qaqeemasq’ |
| Occupation | Tribal Council Chairman |
| Known for | Indian gaming |
| Spouse | Cheryl Frye-Cromwell |
Cedric Cromwell is the Tribal Council Chairman of the Mashpee Wapanoag Tribe of Massachusetts.[1] He is heavily involved in lobbying the U.S. Congress on legislation required to fix the results of a Supreme Court decision Carcieri v. Salazar which blocks tribes, like the Wampanoag people from taking lands into trust for the purposes of Indian gaming. He is also a leading force pushing the Massachusetts legislature to enact enabling legislation allowing an Indian gaming establishment with a tribal preference for the Mashpee Wampanoag on the South Shore of Massachusetts.[2]
Biography
Cromwell is the son of James Oliver Cromwell of Nova Scotia and Constance “Connie” Tobey of Dorchester, Massachusetts.[3] Born in 1965, Cromwell grew up in the Dorchester and Hyde Park neighborhoods of Boston with his older brother Craig Oliver Cromwell. He attended high school in East Boston where he was a member of the 1983 graduating at Mario Umana Technical School. He received an Associate’s degree in Computer Science from Roxbury Community College in 1985 and later earned his Bachelor’s of Arts degree in Community Planning from the University of Massachusetts Boston in 2005. From 1998-2008 Cromwell worked as a financial services manager for Fidelity Investments in Rhode Island.[4]
Tribal Activities
Cromwell became a member of the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe in 2006 and served as a council member under Glenn Marshall and vice chair Shawn Hendricks from 2007-2008. He ran unsuccessfully for council vice chair in 2007; Cromwell won his position as chairman in 2009 following federal convictions of his predecessor Glenn Marshall on various charges associated with the tribe’s casino political lobbying efforts associated with the Jack Abramoff Indian lobbying scandal. Cromwell’s election and administration have been criticized by other tribe members alleging election and financial improprieties.[5] However, Cromwell has successfully gained financial backing for the tribe’s casino development effort from Malaysian billionaire Lim Goh Tong and his Kien Huat Realty arm of the Genting Group, and Cromwell also successfully hired former U.S. representative Bill Delahunt to lobby on behalf of the tribe. In 2010 Cromwell formed and serves as president of the private, for-profit ‘First Light Corporation’ with other members of his council administration for the purposes of real estate and casino development interests.[6] Cromwell is committed to securing federal lands in trust for the tribe, which currently lacks a reservation or any federally recognized lands, for the purposes of establishing a casino resort including hotels, restaurants, slot parlors and shopping. He has negotiated various deals for such developments with the local Massachusetts communities of Fall River, Middleborough and Raynham, and he has threatened the State that he will circumvent their legislative process and “destroy any competition because we (the tribe) won’t pay any licensing fees or taxes” if they do not include language in support of the tribe’s plans.[7] Previous council chair Glenn Marshall had similar proposals for a Mashpee Wampanoag land-in-trust reservation, including the establishment of an international free trade zone and Indian reservation wholesale banking operations independent from state and federal regulators.[8]
Personal
Cromwell has resided in Attleboro, Massachusetts[9] with his wife Cheryl Frye Cromwell since 2002. In 2009 the Cape Cod Times reported he was delinquent on more than $13,000 in local property taxes and utility bills;[10] and, defaulted on his mortgage to Household Finance Corporation for $21,520.[11] Following his election in 2009, he now receives a reported annual salary from the tribe of between $150,000 and $180,000 and remains residing at his Seanna Road residence in Attleboro.
See also
- Deval Patrick#Casino gambling
- Genting Group#Casino and integrated resort properties
- Bill Delahunt#Lobbying
External links
- Official Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe website.
- Mashpee Wampanoag protest website.
- Wampanoag watchdog blog.
References
- ^ Cedric Cromwell elected chairman, Cape Cod Times, 8 February 2009.
- ^ Testimony of Cedric Cromwell, Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, 20 June 2011.
- ^ Obituary of James Oliver Cromwell, Boston Herald, 21 March 2008.
- ^ Cedric Cromwell LinkedIn profile,LinkedIn.com, July 2011.
- ^ Cromwell Editorial, Broken Wing blog, 1 September 2009.
- ^ Incorporation records ‘First Light Corporation’, 2010.
- ^ Cromwell on the Warpath , Bellicose Bumpkin, 22 June 2010.
- ^ Glenn Marshall editorial board interview, Standard-Times, 28 August 2007.
- ^ Cedric Cromwell White Pages listing , WhitePages.com, 2011.
- ^ Cedric Cromwell owes $13,000 in back taxes and utility bills, Cape Cod Times, 10 February 2009.
- ^ Court Order #200834Cv001414, Commonwealth of Massachusetts Office of the Bristol County Sheriff, 6 May 2009.
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