Proposed Spokane Tribe casino is not just about gambling

Jodi Rave Spotted Bear

Jodi Rave Spotted Bear

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Priorities of citizens

I was shocked when I read the column in the Aug. 30 Seattle Times by Ben Stuckart, president of the Spokane City Council, promoting the Spokane Tribe casino at Airway Heights, a small community next the Fairchild Air Force Base [“Spokane Tribe’s casino project will create thousands of jobs,” Opinion]. He needs to gets the priorities of the Spokane citizens right – they do not want another casino in Airway Heights.

Stuckart totally ignored the reason the casino should not be built: the impact on Fairchild Air Force Base. This is not a gambling issue.

Spokane wants Fairchild the home of the new Boeing KC-46 Tanker (767). The base will be closed if there are airspace-encroachment problems. How could the council president gamble with Fairchild’s future when there is already a casino a couple of miles away?

The project, the third casino for the Spokane tribe, is an 145-acre development including a hotel. The Air Force is extremely concerned with civilian development invading their air space.

The close proximity to Fairchild will impact the base’s future and its economic impact on all of Spokane. The base employs 4,700 airmen and 1,100 civilians with a current economic impact of $460 million. What is the proposed impact of the casino?

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– Robert Denny Watt Jr., Spokane

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