"week when they voted unanimously to appeal the federal decision that would allow the Cowlitz Tribe to establish a reservation near La Center and build a megacasino. That Dec. 23 decision came from the Bureau of Indian Affairs. We’d like to see a second opinion from a more independent source.

Such an objective entity would be the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., where county commissioners will file their appeal. That court would be more likely to recognize what The Columbian has said for years, that a gigantic $510 million casino-hotel complex on Interstate 5 would have a net negative effect on the local quality of life. Adverse impacts would be numerous, but social services, particularly, would be severely strained by the increased feeding of the gambling addiction here.

County Commissioners Tom Mielke, Marc Boldt and Steve Stuart reached their decision last week after meeting with legal staff in executive session. Although that session was private, we’re presuming the legal advice might have been based in part on Carcieri v. Salazar (a 2009 U.S. Supreme Court decision) and what could be the BIA’s disregard for that ruling."

Get the Story:
In Our View: Appeal BIA Ruling (The Columbian 1/21)

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