Hanging the moon

By Staff
August 25, 2002
At approximately 11 a.m. on Monday, the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians will officially open its new resort, casino, hotel the Golden Moon. Architecturally, it is a stunning achievement. Financially, it was completed on time and under budget. Strategically, it represents the latest attraction in the rapidly-developing resort destination crafted by the Choctaws in the red clay hills of rural Neshoba County.
The Golden Moon's restaurants, rooms and other attractions, including more gaming space, are all testaments to the success of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians in building a churning economic engine the likes of which east Mississippi has not seen before. Soon, the tribe's business ventures in Mississippi will employ more than 15,000 people, the vast majority of whom are not members of the tribe.
A spokesman for the Choctaws said last week that about 8,900 people are at least one-half Mississippi Choctaw and, thus, qualified for membership in the tribe. That means the tribe has opened a range of employment opportunities for other people.
On a deeper level, these new developments represent another significant accomplishment by the Choctaws' visionary leader, tribal chief Phillip Martin, in propelling his tribe to the forefront of economic progress. His record is superb and his tenure has truly been marked by unprecedented growth and unparalleled progress.
A number of other elected officials in this area and state might benefit from studying his record of real accomplishments.