KMPO: Don't buy Citylink argument

KMPO board members, it appears the Coeur d'Alene Tribal Chairman has given you your orders with a "stern letter" to provide more funding for a "FREE" ride to their Casino. Chief Allan is confident he has you hooked like an addict on drugs. Call his bluff. The Coeur d'Alene Casino is by far the greatest beneficiary of the CITYLINK service.

Tell your citizens the facts. Tell the citizens that unless they pay no property taxes and no income taxes they are not presently and never have gotten a "FREE" ride on CITYLINK. The entity getting the "FREE" ride is the Coeur d'Alene Tribal Casino. Tell (publish) your citizens how many dollars the cities, county and chambers have invested in CITYLINK since its origin and tell them year by year the amounts and how that money was spent. I should hope your citizens will wholeheartedly agree with you if you refuse this "SHAKEDOWN" demand of Chief Allan.

Does the city of Spokane and/or Spokane County fund the Coeur d'Alene Tribal Casino bus rides back and forth from the Spokane area to the casino? I think not. Why should your area citizens fund the casino transportation system?

Oh! Yes Chief Allan has repeatedly reminded all of us that after another study by someone (?) at the University of Idaho (the study was paid for by the Coeur d'Alene Tribe) the Tribe was the third largest employer in this area yielding a $309 million impact to our economy. Perhaps Chief Allan has overlooked or just failed to thank all of the gaming customers at the casino and the general tax paying community (they fund the grants) for their generous contribution for the greatest part of the $309 million.

KMPO board members, have courage and tell Chief Allan NO! You have the leadership and the talent to operate your own transit system and stop the service at the southern border of the city of Coeur d'Alene.

DEAN GENTRY

St. Maries