OCTOBER 15, 2012
Smoke Signals 11
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Tribal Elders, from
left, Dorothy Shortt,
Nancy Norton and
Arlettia Krehbiel
share a laugh as
they take a break
from fishing during
the Elders' Fishing
Trip at Henry Hagg
Lake near Forest
Grove on Thursday,
Sept. 27.
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Photos by Michelle Alaimo
Steve Freund, husband of Tribal Elder Sharon Freund, trolls around
Henry Hagg Lake during the Elders' Fishing Trip near Forest Grove on
Thursday, Sept. 27. In the background is Tribal Elder Violet Folden.
Dennis Lund, husband of Tribal Elder Laura Lund,
baits a hook for fishing during the Elders' Fishing
Trip at Henry Hagg Lake near Forest Grove on
Thursday, Sept. 27.
'Dti's wiroirag to break oqjqct agireeinmeirati'
GOVERNORS continued
from front page
leaders have been in creating such
a unique and positive government-to-government
relationship."
Under compacts with the state,
which are negotiated through the
governor's office, the state's nine
Tribes agreed to have only one ca
sino. As part of those agreements,
Raphael said, Tribes were promised
there would not be competition
from private casinos, which are pro
hibited by the state Constitution.
"They kept their end of the bar
gain," Raphael said. "It's wrong to
break our agreement."
At the Oct. 8 press conference,
Atiyeh, Roberts and Kulongoski
also expressed their concerns about
breaking the state's promise not to
compete with Tribal casinos.
Kitzhaber filmed the ad on Fri
day, Oct. 5, for the It's Still A Bad
Idea Committee, which is leading
the fight against the two measures.
In 2010, Oregon voters rejected an
identical proposition by a 68-32
percent margin.
The measures would allow a
3,500-slot machine casino at the
former Multnomah Kennel Club
in Wood Village, an eastern sub
urb of Portland. The measures are
being backed by two wealthy Lake
Oswego businessmen and two Ca
nadian investors - Great Canadian
Gaming Corp. and Clairvest.
Kitzhaber expressed his opposi
tion to the measures as early as
Aug. 28 in a letter to the Portland
City Club.
"A private casino industry in Or
egon is not good for our economy,
our communities or our state,"
Kitzhaber wrote. "A private casino
industry would primarily benefit a
few wealthy corporate executives
and foreign investors while creat
ing increased opportunities for
corporate corruption and organized
crime."
Kitzhaber said private casinos
will increase crime, drug and alco
hol abuse and gambling addiction.
"According to the 2011 Oregon
Problem Gambling Services Data
Book, the estimated annual social
costs of problem gambling to Orego
nians is approximately $468 million
even without operation of private
casinos," Kitzhaber wrote. "Open
ing the door to more gambling will
only increase these problems and
would prey on the most vulnerable
populations in Oregon the poor,
the addicted and those who could
least afford it."
And he defended Oregon Tribes.
"When Oregon's Tribes were first
granted the right to build casinos,
they voluntarily agreed to limit one
per Tribe and to give back to the
community through community
benefit funds," Kitzhaber wrote.
"They've kept up their end of the
bargain donating almost $100
million to local charities all across
Oregon. Allowing private casinos
to enter Oregon will threaten this
arrangement the Tribes' obliga
tions to establish their community
benefit funds are contingent on
statewide prohibition of casinos
and is an affront to the sover
eignty of the Tribes."
According to the Oregon Tribal
Gaming Alliance, Tribal gaming gen
erated $1.62 billion in total economic
output in Oregon in 2011, directly
supporting more than 5,000 jobs and
$208 million in wages and benefits.
In addition, through 2012, the
Tribes' charitable giving to non
profits in Oregon has totaled more
than $106 million.
An economic analysis by the non
partisan Legislative Revenue Office
in July found that a large private
casino in east Multnomah County
would probably cost state and lo
cal governments money and would
likely shrink the Oregon economy
as well.
Also, the Oregon Citizens' Ini
tiative Review Commission voted
17-7 against the two measures in
August.
Includes information from The
Oregonian.