"The greatest responsibility of any elected official is to carefully research, consider and facilitate debate about the most important issues affecting our community. Today, one of Spokane County’s most critical issues is the Spokane Tribe of Indian’s proposed casino/retail complex near Fairchild Air Force Base. Sadly, a muzzle has been placed on me and the majority of the Spokane Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) that prevents us from doing our jobs on behalf of our constituents.

Ironically, the individual making the plea for support of the casino project made a career out of opposing economic development projects prior to and during her term as county commissioner.

Bonnie Mager’s primary tactic was to put private developers through a grueling public process, endless studies and the scrutiny of the project’s opponents. But now that she has become this project’s advocate, she’s doing everything she can to ignore concerns and avoid public scrutiny. "

Get the Story:
Al French: Tribe project gag is odious (The Spokesman Review 10/13)

Related Stories:
Opinion: Spokane Tribe's off-reservation casino deserves a shot (10/1)