The CEO and tribal chair of the Poarch Band of Creek Indians said she’s hopeful that comprehensive gambling legislation will pass soon in Alabama and thinks budgetary issues could push state lawmakers to finally put comprehensive gambling on the ballot.
Stephanie Bryan said during an interview on the Alabama Politics This Week podcast that she remained “hopeful” that lawmakers would give the people a final say on the issue, and that the tribe is actively working on polling and other things to illustrate to lawmakers just how important the matter is for many around the state.
“I do feel like the year before was very close,” Bryan said. “There were things that transpired—you can’t change what happened in the past. All we can do is figure out how we navigate to move forward in the future. I do think that with the deficit that the state of Alabama faces, all the ARPA money’s gone. Unfortunately, the state, the legislators, the governor, they’re going to have to look for ways to generate revenue.
“So we have to figure out collectively in this gaming world, how do we make the money in the state, keep the money in the state, and…We help this state financially build a stronger foundation of infrastructure, education, rural healthcare, safety in communities. So hopefully the legislators can have open dialogue and come to a conclusion of a comprehensive gaming package that benefits the entire state.”
Bryan also spoke during the extended interview about the Poarch Creeks’ relationship with the state of Alabama and the tribe’s rapid growth over the past 20 years. She also talked about the tribe’s hiring practices, which are essentially to hire the most qualified candidate and then compensate them well for a good job.
“Most people don’t realize that fewer than 10 percent of our workforce is tribal members,” Bryan said. “We don’t pay a lot of attention to those numbers, because we truly just hire the best people. We don’t worry about race. These people are our employees, and that means they’re part of our family. Race doesn’t matter. Gender doesn’t matter. Republican, Democrat doesn’t matter. We believe in treating everyone fairly.”
Bryan went on to say that she believes raising children in diverse settings and exposing them to a variety of people from all walks of life will help them more than any other lesson.
“I think it’s important that you place these children in a diverse background with different people, no matter what communities that they come from, and you teach them how to work together,” she said.
In the lengthy and candid interview, Bryan talked about the role Christianity plays within the tribe—and the conflict that has occurred among members, including her mother, over gaming—and moving past old wounds and betrayals. She also touched on the tribe’s charitable efforts around Alabama and the unfairness of PCI leaders being painted as villains when they try to protect their business and tribal members.
To hear the full interview, you can listen at the Alabama Politics This Week website or subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and everywhere podcasts are available.
