4 NOVEMBER 1, 2004
Smoke Signals
Failed Casino Operator Supports Anti-Indian Gaming Initiative
Salty's, Red Robin figure uses offensive images to support Washington's 1-892.
By Ron Karten
Washington State Initiative
892 "would authorize licensed
gambling establishments... to
operate electronic scratch
ticket machines of the same
type, and in the same total
number, as authorized in state
Tribal gaming compacts."
Initiated by Washington tax ac
tivist Tim Eyman, who is paying
himself$3,100aweek
from campaign contri
butions, according to
the Seattle Post
Intelligencer, the cam
paign is a virtual
Who's Who of self-interested
rogues in the
Evergreen State.
Take the campaign
coming out of the office
of Gerry Kingen, Se
attle restaur an teur and
failed casino operator. His mailer in
support of the initiative features six
cartoons drawn by Idaho cartoonist
Larry Knighton depicting stereo
types of Indians carting off the loot
from casinos.
"Use these cartoons if you have
the courage to do so," the cam
paign piece says.
Although Kingen did not
return calls for comment,
cartoonist Larry
Knighton said, "The car
toons are talking about
the issues. The drawings
are addressing the issues
that are right in front of your
face with words and imagery.
They are not addressing anything
in regards to (Indian) intelligence.
They're not poking fun at any (In
dian) cultural lifestyles. It's only
the issues. If they're offended by
touching and talking about the is
sues, then I'm sorry, too bad."
"Governor Gary Locke has criti
cized the measure and does not sup
port it. He has expressed concerns
that Initiative 892 would create
wide-open gambling and he does
not believe that the people of Wash
ington want to become another Ne
vada or Las Vegas. The governor
finds these images stereotypical and
offensive," said Sharon Wallace,
Communications Director for the
Washington Governor.
The thrust of the initiative piece
is that "The Tribes own the Demo
crats," who are "selectively support
ing our state's constitution."
If fairness is at issue and
Kingen properties, the Salty's res
taurant chain, at that time owed
"more than $330,000 in outstand
ing state taxes and fees. In addi
tion, public records show more than
$320,000 in current (2001) liens
against the various restaurant
properties, filed by state agencies
and the Internal Revenue Service."
Also at that time, the article said,
ffm& iiifiitt 'tomfti' i tkst ytogaf tffc trnvamu
Kingen's piece says, "It's time to level
the gaming field" Kingen's record
is instructive.
When Funsters Grand Casinos,
Inc. at the SeaTac Airport went bust
in 2002 after operating for a little
more than a year, the company in
which he was part-owner left
behind a trail of debts ul
timately amounting to
more than $2 million,
according to the Se
attle daily. The com
pany ran out on
some 200 creditors in
cluding 160 employ
ees, many of whom lost
a whole month's pay, ac
cording to the Puget Sound Busi
ness Journal.
Before heading for the high road
on his casino debts, Kingen faced a
complaint from the Washington
State Gambling Commission, ac
cording to the Business Journal, "al
leging that Funsters was behind on
its gambling taxes, and that it didn't
have enough money on hand to pay
its advertised progressive jackpots
or to pay winners for their chips."
Also according to a 2001 Business
Journal article, another group of
W jar m jr.jr
"Wells Fargo Bank also is suing the
Kingens and their Salty's manage
ment company, Happy Guests In
ternational Inc., seeking the
$551,000 outstanding balance on
(an overdue) revolving loan...."
The end of the Kingen initiative
piece said, This same group of poli
ticians also chooses to ignore our
nation's Constitution which clearly
illiterates sic on the importance of
"Liberty and justice for all."
The U.S. Constitution does not ac
tually 'illiterate' anything,
but the mistake indicates
more than careless writ
ing. It also demon
strates the sloppy use
of documents and the
selective use of infor
mation blighting the po
litical landscape today.
In the first place, "liberty
and justice," does not come from the
U.S. Constitution, or the state of
Washington Constitution for that
matter, but from the Pledge of Alle
giance. In the second place, the is
sue does not hang on the question of
equal treatment among groups but
on the sovereign status of Indians.
Indians have casinos because
N&!W
they are sovereign and decide for
themselves the shape of their na
tions. Indians are, of course, Ameri
cans, and fall under the federal um
brella of laws, but at the state level,
they are equal partners in the gam
bling compacts that have come to
mark one of the most remarkable
resurgences in American history.
And with the casino money
earned, the Tribes'
record of contributions
to non-Indian commu
nities around them far
exceeds any commu
nity gifts made by
Kingen or the many
other mainstream ben
eficiaries of the forms
of gambling that they
are so far allowed.
Other practices illu
minating the charac
ter of supporters of the campaign
for 1-892 have surfaced. The Se
attle daily reported this year that
the campaign received 10 contribu
tions of $2,500 each from 10 mini
casino corporations, "all with the
same address... and most or all of
which are principally owned by ei
ther or both of two brothers, Tim
and Michael Iszely.
"According to the state Depart
ment of Revenue's most recent list
of delinquent taxpayers, dated
April 1 (2004), five of those
Iszely-affiliated companies
contributed money to the
initiative campaign
even though they owed
the state $846,314 in
back taxes."
For those in Washing
ton interested in keeping
the likes of Kingen and the
Iszely brothers in their place, a 'no'
vote on 1-892 will be a start. Those
from across the Northwest who
would vote with their pocketbooks
might not only want to avoid eat
ing at Salty's, but also at the Red
Robin restaurants where Kingen
was founder and as recently as
1996, CEO.
Tribe Puts Winter Weather Emergency Plan In Place
By Ron Karten
Last winter, we saw snow and lots
of it. Fine for the kids, but Elders
wondered not only about how they
would get out of their homes and
down their driveways, but what
about their medical and pharmacy
needs?
As a result, Public Works Direc
tor John Mercier has drafted an in
ternal Public Works Department
policy describing roads that will get
cleared of snow first and how depart
ment employees will be expected to
respond to adverse weather condi
tions in Grand Ronde.
"We will assess the weather as we
always do," said Mercier, "first
whether people should come in to
work at all. From that point, we
have designated a Public Works
team who will be called out to move
snow or any other obstructions (ice
is a little more difficult). The first
priority will be the entrance road and
the clinic road," he said.
At the pharmacy, Pharmacist Julie
Davis said that she will remain on call
with her cell phone in times when she
can't make it to the clinic.
"If I can get down from my house,
I'll come in and get anything," she
said.
In the works is a project with the
Information Systems Department so
that in emergencies, when she can't
get to the clinic to fill prescriptions,
she'll be able to access pharmacy
records from her home, and call them
in to other local pharmacies.
Depending on the severity of the
weather, the question remains open
whether Elders or others will be able
to make it to another local pharmacy.
The Health Clinic Director Michael
Watkins lives right down the block,
which made it so much more conve
nient and, in a way, neighborly dur
ing last year's storm.
"We came in and dealt with it," he
said. "Well probably do the same thing
this year. It's based on where the snow
hits and what staff can make it in," he
said. "Last year, I did some home de
liveries myself because I live down the
street."
While noting that "winters are gen
erally mild in Grand Ronde," John
Mercier said that "personal responsi
bility is also required" in times of emer
gency. "Public Works can do the housing
streets," he continued, "but we can't
do housing (sidewalks and driveways).
We're working with the Housing Au
thority to take care of these needs."
And Housing is ready again this year
to keep all the walkways de-iced; and
the snow shoveled from sidewalks and
driveways, according to Housing Author
ity Assistant Director Greg Martin.
"We've done that for a number of
years," he said. "Should we have a
snowstorm, we're prepared to remove
the snow in coordination with the Tribe;
also we have standby snow removal
equipment for the driveways and
sidewalks.
"Well clear all of the parking lots,
the normal walkways, the side
walks," said Martin.
The Housing Authority also is
coordinating with the Security per
sonnel to be first on the phone list
when emergency weather conditions
are expected or in process.
"This year," said Martin, "we've
got greater coordination with the
Tribe and John Mercier's office.
We've done more advance planning
for anticipated bad weather."
For employees, the message dur
ing a weather emergency is, "Don't
risk your personal safety, but keep
your supervisor informed," said
Mercier.
"Precipitation (for this winter) is
likely to be above average in the
Pacific Northwest," according to
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration.