In Our View: County Steps Back, Forward

Occasionally, in order to move forward, you need to take a step back. Because of that, the Clark County council has made the correct decision in opting to work with Ilani Casino and Resort officials instead of opposing their project at every turn.

This is not an easy decision. The county council — along with many other jurisdictions throughout the region — long has been opposed to the casino, a $510 million project near La Center that is being constructed by the Cowlitz Tribe in conjunction with the Mohegan Tribe of Indians in Connecticut. Because of that opposition, county officials have attempted to fight the casino in court and through whatever legal means were at their disposal.

The argument has been that a mega-casino along the Interstate 5 corridor will exacerbate housing and traffic issues while raising concerns about the environment and social services. Those arguments still hold true, but with the casino scheduled to open in April, it is time to approach it with an extended hand rather than a clenched fist. Having been approved by the courts and by the federal government, the Ilani Casino and Resort is going to open, and county officials must position themselves to have a voice at the table rather than howling in the wilderness. As The Columbian wrote editorially in August: “The fact is that intransigence and opposition can become self-defeating. Extremism can, indeed, become a vice; moderation can, indeed, be a virtue.”

So it is that the county council has opened communication lines with Cowlitz officials, echoing a decision the Vancouver City Council approved in May. To be sure, the Vancouver City Council has no jurisdiction over the casino, and its opposition was largely symbolic. The county council and the services it oversees will be more directly impacted by the casino, making its stance on the casino more significant.

Meanwhile, it is important to heed the words of Jeanne Stewart, the only county councilor to oppose the opening of communications with tribal officials. “I don’t think we’ve reached the end of our negotiations with them on the issues related to the sewage system and the aquifer,” Stewart said.

Indeed. There are valid concerns that the casino’s water reclamation system could pollute the Troutdale Aquifer, the county’s sole source of drinking water. But addressing those concerns will be facilitated by working with casino and tribal officials rather than providing opposition. As Deputy County Manager Bob Stevens noted at a council meeting, the tribe wants to be a “cooperative player” in addressing the community’s concerns about the casino. And as project founder Dave Barnett suggested to The Columbian’s Editorial Board last year, “Let’s have some meaningful dialogue.”

That dialogue should be extensive. It is difficult to predict the impact the casino will have upon north Clark County and along the I-5 corridor between Portland and La Center. The reasonable guess is that the casino will be a huge success and will draw many visitors from the Oregon side of the Columbia River. Traffic across the Interstate Bridge, which already is a severe problem, undoubtedly will get worse. There also will be issues — both expected and unforeseen — for the area near La Center.

These problems can be expected with any large project in the county, and it will be essential for county officials to maintain open communication with casino officials. In order to move forward in this regard, county councilors were wise to take a step back.