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Pembroke, Robeson County

Pembroke: Lumbee chairman certifies gaming ordinance; referendum still ahead

The Tribe's news page says Chairman John Lowery completed that step Friday. The Robesonian independently reported the same action. No election date is posted.

ConfirmedThe main facts are confirmed by official or first-hand sources.

By Triangle Local Staff · Published

What we know

Confirmed

  • A Lumbee Tribe news page says Chairman John L. Lowery certified the Lumbee Tribal Gaming Ordinance as affecting fundamental rights on Friday. Tribal Council Speaker Alex Baker and Vice Chairman Bobby Emanuel joined him.Confirmed by Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina news page, fetched Oct. 27, 2026
  • The Robesonian, in a Monday staff report, independently wrote that Lowery completed that certification Friday in Pembroke, with Baker and Emanuel present.Confirmed by The Robesonian, Oct. 26, 2026
  • The Tribe's page says the Lumbee Tribal Council passed the legislation on Oct. 16. A posted ordinance PDF is dated Oct. 15, 2026, and is titled Gaming Ordinance (CLLO-2026-1015-04).Confirmed by Lumbee Tribe news page; Lumbee Tribe Gaming Ordinance PDF
  • The Robesonian's Oct. 15 account of a Thursday council meeting said the board approved the measure that day. Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026, matches that earlier dateline. The later Tribe page uses Oct. 16.Confirmed by The Robesonian, Oct. 15, 2026; Lumbee Tribe news page
  • The posted ordinance says any measure authorizing gaming in Lumbee territory is treated as affecting fundamental rights and requires a special mandatory referendum. It says the text becomes law only after the Article VI referendum process is finished.Confirmed by Lumbee Tribe Gaming Ordinance PDF, Oct. 15, 2026
  • Part I of that PDF creates a Lumbee Gaming Commission as the regulator and says that part takes effect under tribal law and after National Indian Gaming Commission approval. Part II creates a Lumbee Gaming Authority as the operator.Confirmed by Lumbee Tribe Gaming Ordinance PDF
  • Lowery, quoted on the Tribe page and in the Monday newspaper account, thanked the council for outreach sessions that let tribal citizens speak.Confirmed by Lumbee Tribe news page; The Robesonian, Oct. 26, 2026
  • The Monday Robesonian report said Lowery's step starts a membership vote under Articles VI and VIII of the Tribal Constitution, that the Lumbee Tribe Election Board will set the date, and that the paper expects mid-December. Those calendar lines are the newspaper's. They are not on the Tribe page we read.Confirmed by The Robesonian only, Oct. 26, 2026
  • The same Monday report said members may vote to rescind the text, that it otherwise takes effect, and that a rescission needs 30 percent of eligible voters to participate. Those rules are the newspaper's account of the constitution and a recent Tribal Supreme Court clean-water ruling. They are not printed on the short Tribe news page.Confirmed by The Robesonian only, Oct. 26, 2026
  • The Robesonian's Oct. 15 meeting story said the vote was 14-2, on a motion by Councilman Larry Soles, seconded by Councilman Carrington Locklear, with Councilmen Harold Smith and Graylen Mitchell opposed and five members absent. The Tribe page we read does not print a tally.Confirmed by The Robesonian only, Oct. 15, 2026
  • That Oct. 15 story, and the Monday follow-up, said tribal voters rejected a June 23 constitutional amendment on gaming, with about 62 percent of those who took part voting no. Those figures are the newspaper's.Confirmed by The Robesonian only, Oct. 15 and Oct. 26, 2026
  • The Monday report also listed a Nov. 17 regular tribal election and a Dec. 3 clean-water referendum. Those dates are the newspaper's. They are not on the Tribe news page we opened.Confirmed by The Robesonian only, Oct. 26, 2026

Still unknown

  • The date the Lumbee Tribe Election Board will set for the gaming referendum
  • Whether the Tribe page's Oct. 16 passage line or the Oct. 15 ordinance date is the council's official vote day
  • Any posted compact, site, or opening plan for a gaming hall

What this means for you

Instructions from Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina

This site is not the Lumbee Tribe, the Lumbee Tribe Election Board, or an emergency office. For tribal notices and later referendum dates, use lumbeetribe.com or 910-521-7861. If someone is in danger, call 911.

What happened

In Pembroke, the Lumbee Tribe says Chairman John L. Lowery certified a measure on Friday that would authorize and regulate gaming if a later membership vote lets it take effect.

The Tribe's news page said he marked the Lumbee Tribal Gaming Ordinance as affecting fundamental rights. Speaker Alex Baker and Vice Chairman Bobby Emanuel joined him. The Robesonian, writing Monday, independently placed that Friday step in Pembroke and printed the same Lowery thanks to the council for holding outreach sessions.

A posted PDF, dated Oct. 15 and labeled Gaming Ordinance, says a gaming authorization affects fundamental rights and becomes law only after the Article VI referendum process. Part I of that file creates a commission to regulate play and says that part also needs National Indian Gaming Commission approval. Part II creates an authority that would run an operation.

The later Tribe write-up says the council passed the legislation on Oct. 16. The PDF carries an Oct. 15 date. The Robesonian's Oct. 15 meeting story said the board voted Thursday, which was Oct. 15.

That earlier newspaper account said the tally was 14-2, with Councilmen Harold Smith and Graylen Mitchell opposed and five members absent. The short Tribe news page does not print a count.

The Monday Robesonian report said the Election Board will name a day, that the paper expects mid-December, and that members may vote to rescind the text. It also said a rescission needs 30 percent of eligible voters to take part, that a June 23 constitutional amendment on gaming failed with about 62 percent of those voting saying no, and that a regular tribal election is Nov. 17 with a clean-water referendum on Dec. 3. Those calendar and share lines are the newspaper's. They are not on the Tribe post we opened.

This site is not the Tribe or an emergency office. If someone is in danger, call 911.

What we don't know yet

No Election Board date is posted. We have not read a compact, a building site, or an opening plan.

Photos

Text-only. No Tribe or newspaper photos are used here.

Why it matters

Pembroke is the seat of Lumbee government. Readers need the official certification, the posted ordinance's referendum rule, and the calendar details that appear only in the local newspaper.

Updates

  1. Oct 27, 2026, 4:15 PM

    The Tribe's news page and The Robesonian both report that Chairman John Lowery certified the gaming ordinance Friday. A posted PDF dated Oct. 15 says the text becomes law only after an Article VI referendum. No election date is posted.

Sources

  1. Chairman John L. Lowery certified the Lumbee Tribal Gaming Ordinance as affecting fundamental rights (Lumbee Tribe news page, fetched Oct. 27, 2026: Friday certification; Speaker Alex Baker and Vice Chairman Bobby Emanuel joined; council passed the legislation Oct. 16; Lowery quote thanking the council for outreach sessions. Text-only; the page photo is not used.)

    Official sourcePublished by Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina · Checked Oct 27, 2026, 4:15 PM

  2. Gaming Ordinance, CLLO-2026-1015-04 (posted Lumbee Tribe PDF dated Oct. 15, 2026: titled Gaming Ordinance; Article VIII, Section 1(b) treats a gaming authorization as affecting fundamental rights and requires a special mandatory referendum; becomes law only after the Article VI referendum process; Part I Lumbee Gaming Commission, effective under tribal law and after National Indian Gaming Commission approval; Part II Lumbee Gaming Authority. The PDF's case-number line is not used here because the same file prints more than one year.)

    Official sourcePublished by Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina · Checked Oct 27, 2026, 4:15 PM

  3. Lowery certifies Tribal gaming ordinance, which heads to referendum (The Robesonian, staff, Oct. 26, 2026: Friday certification in Pembroke; Baker and Emanuel; council passed Oct. 15; Lowery quote matching the Tribe page; Articles VI and VIII; Election Board to announce a date, expected mid-December; rescission vote; 30 percent participation; June 23 amendment, about 62 percent no; Nov. 17 regular election; Dec. 3 clean-water referendum; Lowery had said after June 23 he would not pursue gaming for the rest of his term through 2027 and was required to certify. Those calendar and vote-share lines are the newspaper's. Text-only; the newspaper photo is not used.)

    Published by The Robesonian · Checked Oct 27, 2026, 4:15 PM

  4. Tribal Council approves gaming ordinance; referendum to come (The Robesonian, Chris Stiles, Oct. 15, 2026: Thursday council vote 14-2; motion by Larry Soles, second by Carrington Locklear; Harold Smith and Graylen Mitchell opposed; five absent; attorney Joshua Malcolm on a 10-day certification window and a possible Dec. 10 or Dec. 15 vote; June 23 amendment, about 62 percent no; Nov. 17 election; Dec. 3 clean-water referendum. Text-only; newspaper photos are not used.)

    Published by The Robesonian · Checked Oct 27, 2026, 4:15 PM

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