"It was no surprise that Vancouver Mayor Royce Pollard on Monday declared himself against the proposal by the Cowlitz Tribe's David Barnett and the ­Mohegan Tribe of Connecticut to build a sprawling casino-hotel complex near La Center, or a nywhere in Clark County for that matter.

Now it's time for the drama: Will there be any dissenters when Pollard asks the Vancouver City Council on May 7 to support a resolution opposing a casino here? And will other fence-sitting elected officials, boards and commissions join him in opposition to the long-term effects of one of the state's largest casinos on the natural and social environment here?

We hope they take Pollard up on the invitation and oppose this Palace of Lost Wages, Concrete Landscape and Low-End Jobs.

Opponents such as Tom Hunt, spokesman for Citizens Against Reservation Shopping (CARS), say opposition from elected officials would carry weight with federal officials who ultimately will decide if a casino complex may go in at the La Center junction on Interstate 5. (Columbian Publisher Scott Campbell is a member of CARS. The Columbian editorially opposes the casino because it would diminish the local quality of life.)

But even if one supports a casino in the county, the mayor's challenge is welcome. Indeed, it is long past time for those who ask us for their votes to take a stand in this four-year-old dispute."

Get the Story:
In Our View: Get Off the Fence (The Columbian 5/1)