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	<title>SaveLakewood &#124; Grass Roots Politics and Issues from Lakewood Wa</title>
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	<link>http://www.savelakewood.com/blog</link>
	<description>Y.E.S.! Community Matters Campaign</description>
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		<title>States that bet on gambling money: a roll of the vice</title>
		<link>http://www.savelakewood.com/blog/states-that-bet-on-gambling-money-a-roll-of-the-vice-2/</link>
		<comments>http://www.savelakewood.com/blog/states-that-bet-on-gambling-money-a-roll-of-the-vice-2/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 17 Jul 2010 21:48:54 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.savelakewood.com/blog/?p=279</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[States that bet on gambling money: a roll of the vice To boost their economies, state officials should be discouraging gambling, not trying to expand it. Editorial Board The Christian Science Monitor September 29, 2009 Here&#8217;s a thought experiment worth pondering as the US recovers from recession. What if all the states with legalized gambling had outlawed it last year and asked gamblers to instead put their money into savings, job retraining, paying off debts, or buying goods from local merchants? Alas, states didn&#8217;t even consider that productive route for disposable personal income, which would have helped revive the economy faster. In fact, as state coffers have shrunk – in part because of less tax revenue from gambling – many states have tried to increase the opportunities and enticements for gambling. In Ohio, for instance, voters are being asked to change the constitution to allow casinos. Illinois wants to give free drinks to riverboat gamblers. New Jersey has lifted a ban on smoking in bars with gambling machines. Like the gambling addicts they help enable, many states are in denial about this perverse dependence on a fickle revenue source that, as studies show, costs more in social problems than the [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
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		<title>Did the city of Lakewood influence the outcome of Prop 1?</title>
		<link>http://www.savelakewood.com/blog/did-the-city-of-lakewood-influence-the-outcome-of-prop-1-2/</link>
		<comments>http://www.savelakewood.com/blog/did-the-city-of-lakewood-influence-the-outcome-of-prop-1-2/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 17 Jul 2010 21:48:54 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.savelakewood.com/blog/?p=277</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Did the City influence the outcome of Prop.1, the people’s initiative to ban gambling in Lakewood that failed 3-2 in last November’s General election? The September/October, 2008 issue of Lakewood Connections – the city-authored newsletter of happenings throughout Lakewood &#8211; has been viewed by some as a ‘hit-piece’ &#8211; an unfair advantage taken by the City vs. the Citizens Initiative. A full-front cover article, and an inside viewpoint by City Manager Andrew Neiditz, detailed the impacts should Prop. 1 be successful. Concerned that their views in their publication might prompt a citizen complaint against the City for allegedly opposing Prop.1, the City submitted a draft to the Public Disclosure Commission (PDC) for review. According to several e-mail exchanges between the city and the PDC – documents obtained via Public Disclosure &#8211; though the City believed their draft “purely factual and to the point”, the PDC disagreed and suggested several changes to the City &#8211; recommendations made in order that the city presentation to the public be “more fair and objective,” and to convey “a tenor and tone that does not appear to oppose Proposition 1.” So radical were the tone-and-tenor, even-truth, recommended changes by the PDC, that a response from [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
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		<title>A need for clarification</title>
		<link>http://www.savelakewood.com/blog/a-need-for-clarification-2/</link>
		<comments>http://www.savelakewood.com/blog/a-need-for-clarification-2/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 17 Jul 2010 21:48:54 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Current Statements]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.savelakewood.com/blog/?p=275</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[On July 7, 2009 Councilman Walter Neary wrote in his BLOG about the vote the council had taken the night before. ‘Concerned’ that they could be ( in Neary&#8217;s words ) “stretching the definition of an emergency moratorium a bit far”, the council considered a proposal to let these 11 years of on-again-off-again moratoriums expire, presumably because the moratoriums are only recently acknowledged by the council as ineffective, &#38; even illegal. In the place of – &#38; in spite of &#8211; these moratoriums that have allowed casinos to increase from 1 to 6 over the last decade, the suggestion was to ‘grandfather’ in those that currently exist (5) but allow no more. Neary wrote “State law appears to prohibit cities from regulating casinos.” However, contrary to Neary’s interpretation, state law does not ‘appear’ to prohibit cities from regulating casinos. Rather state law does not allow cities to regulate casinos. Period. There is no ambiguity about this matter. At all. “The Washington State Gambling Act grants the Gambling Commission exclusive authority to license &#38; regulate gambling activities. . . . local jurisdiction’s authority over gambling activity is limited to absolutely prohibiting a gambling activity &#38; imposing restrictions such as parking requirements [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>City of Lakewood Wa threatened with lawsuit if casino was not allowed to open!</title>
		<link>http://www.savelakewood.com/blog/city-of-lakewood-wa-threatened-with-lawsuit-if-casino-was-not-allowed-to-open-2/</link>
		<comments>http://www.savelakewood.com/blog/city-of-lakewood-wa-threatened-with-lawsuit-if-casino-was-not-allowed-to-open-2/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 17 Jul 2010 21:48:54 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.savelakewood.com/blog/?p=273</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[In a not-so-fairy-tale version of “The Three Little Pigs”, the Big Bad Wolf recently made an appearance in Lakewood threatening the City with a ‘huff-and I’ll puff-and-I’ll-blow-your-house-down’ lawsuit if the cowering council didn’t let the Happy Days casino in. A letter obtained by Public Disclosure reveals what appears to be the real reason Happy Days is here again. Attorneys representing the casino, in a letter discussed in executive session by the Lakewood City Council on Feb.17, protested the city’s gambling moratorium that potentially would deny a business license to Happy Days. ‘Let us in and we’ll sweeten the pot via economic stimulant or, we’ll blow your house down in court.’ The city’s official statement does not reference the letter. Per the TNT (6/21/09), “City Manager Andrew Neiditz explained that officials let Happy Days reopen because it was one of six minicasinos in business at the time of the original moratorium. The question was, Did we want to take a hard-line action to prevent it from opening? The answer was no,’ Neiditz said.” The first two little pigs didn’t want to take ‘a hard-line action’ either. Houses made of straw are the easiest to build. Money ‘made’ from gambling seems an [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>Lakewood&#8217;s First Mayor Speaks out</title>
		<link>http://www.savelakewood.com/blog/lakewoods-first-mayor-speaks-out-2/</link>
		<comments>http://www.savelakewood.com/blog/lakewoods-first-mayor-speaks-out-2/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 17 Jul 2010 21:48:54 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.savelakewood.com/blog/?p=271</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[“It seems to me to be totally incongruent to claim to be best for youth and at the same time carry the title of the gambling capitol of the South Sound!!, the only city in the region which condones mini casinos and in fact has subjected itself to more such establishments albeit in zoned areas of the city. If we are going to ‘talk the talk’ about our commitment to youth then we should also be willing to ‘walk the walk.’ Seems to me we cannot have it both ways.” Lakewood Mayor Emeritus Lt. Gen.(ret.) Bill Harrison; thesubtimes.com, 11/3/08]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>The Word on Brian Wurts</title>
		<link>http://www.savelakewood.com/blog/the-word-on-brian-wurts-2/</link>
		<comments>http://www.savelakewood.com/blog/the-word-on-brian-wurts-2/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 17 Jul 2010 21:48:18 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Current Statements]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.savelakewood.com/blog/?p=287</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The Word on Wurts And why you should not vote for him Unless otherwise noted, the following concerning Wurts was posted in thesubtimes.com.  Bold and underlined print are the emphasis by SaveLakewood. Brian Wurts has announced his candidacy for the House of Representatives in Position #2 in the 28th district. He will run as a Republican. On the subject of Gambling Impact: What Wurts said: “I am running because the common citizen needs a common sense voice in Olympia. Each session we hear the same thing about our budget which has proven to be unsustainable. Laws and administrative policies that hurt the taxpayers and businesses are passed with no regard for the negative outcomes.” And in a letter to the editor of thesubtimes.com on Feb.24, 2010, Wurts wrote, “I will never legislate morality on a business like a casino because that is never the role of government.” SaveLakewood’s response: Wurts is concerned about “negative outcomes”? Wurts will never legislate based on morality? “The City needs time to consider properly and carefully all of the factors involved in determining the appropriate role of gambling in the City” (phrasing is taken from Lakewood City Council Ordinance 283, July 29, 2002 but similar [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>4</slash:comments>
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		<title>Gambling Control a Misnomer</title>
		<link>http://www.savelakewood.com/blog/gambling-control-a-misnomer-2/</link>
		<comments>http://www.savelakewood.com/blog/gambling-control-a-misnomer-2/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 17 Jul 2010 21:48:18 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.savelakewood.com/blog/?p=285</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[On December 4, 2009 the board of the Association of Washington Cities, AWC, will adopt the final package for its 2010 legislative agenda.  Lakewood leadership continues to lobby the AWC to support the issue of local control over gambling.  But efforts to that end in the legislature have always failed in the past.   For a number of good reasons. In January, 2007, lobbyists for the AWC and the minicasinos combined efforts, unsuccessfully, to win state support for a bill that effectively would cut a deal with jurisdictions to stop banning casinos altogether and instead create gambling -zones.  A similar bill, HB 2162, failed to move out of committee just this last 2009 session. But Lakewood leadership persists in its efforts to partner with the gambling industry under the guise of ‘control’. This previous month the AWC held its regional meeting in Tacoma.  In attendance, along with about 35 others representing most of the cities in Pierce County, were Mayor Doug Richardson, Councilmember Walter Neary, City Manager Andrew Neiditz, and Communications Director Jeff Brewster.   In his City Manager’s report of October 11, Neiditz stated, “It is anticipated that AWC will continue to support the issue of local control over gambling [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>Weaning the city, or feeding by the spoonful?</title>
		<link>http://www.savelakewood.com/blog/weaning-the-city-or-feeding-by-the-spoonful/</link>
		<comments>http://www.savelakewood.com/blog/weaning-the-city-or-feeding-by-the-spoonful/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 17 Jul 2010 21:48:18 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.savelakewood.com/blog/?p=283</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[On April 2, 2009, per the TNT, the city council directed the city manager to wean the city from its dependence on gambling revenue. The proposed budget for 2010 however, seven months later, expects that source of dollars to remain consistent at $3M.  Actually it is apparent that the contribution of gambling to the general fund is now 8.3 percent, up from 7 percent in 2008, making this industry number four in players at the revenue table.  So, in the interest of integrity, what is the plan by which the council intends to keep its promise? The entire concept of weaning the city from gambling revenue is actually not possible without the elimination of casinos&#8230;..or the elimination of the gambling tax&#8230;..actually both. There is no other way apparently. The problem with elimination of the gambling tax while casinos remain in business would be political suicide. If it weren&#8217;t for the money, people would immediately turn on the casinos for what they are: a drain on the rest of the economy. Eliminating casinos would cut off revenues to the city and council members won&#8217;t let that happen. So we have a dilemma. Another alternative exists. A trust fund can be set [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>Crime in Lakewood: Gang Activity and Violence are on the increase</title>
		<link>http://www.savelakewood.com/blog/crime-in-lakewood-gang-activity-and-violence-are-on-the-increase-2/</link>
		<comments>http://www.savelakewood.com/blog/crime-in-lakewood-gang-activity-and-violence-are-on-the-increase-2/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 17 Jul 2010 21:48:18 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.savelakewood.com/blog/?p=281</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Originally posted Nov 2009 Friday, August 28, 2009 Crime in Lakewood: Gang Activity and Violence are on the increase Some of you will recall the post below asking if anyone had questions or concerns about crime in town based on recent statistics report. The report came to my attention because the Lakewood City Council was supposed to have a discussion in front of the City Council about crime trends, and we didn&#8217;t. Frankly, I didn&#8217;t hear from a lot of folks. Crime doesn&#8217;t seem to be much of an issue. This tells me crime may be a simmering but not front-burner issue for the kind of people who read this blog or follow me on Facebook. The numbers, though, tell a somewhat different story. I&#8217;m going to humbly suggest to my colleagues on the Lakewood City Council that we keep crime and crime prevention at the front of our minds as we enter the planning process for the 2010 budget. Absent a discussion in front of the council, I did some number-crunching myself.And the numbers about gangs are worth knowing. Based on current trends, we&#8217;re set to have more gang arrests this year than we have in any of the [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>A letter to Gen. Colin &amp; Alma Powell</title>
		<link>http://www.savelakewood.com/blog/a-letter-to-gen-colin-alma-powell-2/</link>
		<comments>http://www.savelakewood.com/blog/a-letter-to-gen-colin-alma-powell-2/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 17 Jul 2010 21:48:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.savelakewood.com/blog/?p=299</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[America’s Promise Alliance 1110 Vermont Ave., N.W., Suite 900 Washington, DC 20005 Dear Mr. and Mrs. Colin Powell, Knowing that the two of you are founder and chair, respectively, of America’s Promise Alliance, and having just finished reading My American Journey, as well as some of your speeches, I have a far better appreciation of the connection between who you are as people and what consequently you have done. And this is why I am asking you for help. This largest national partnership you established that provides support to youth, with more than 300 national partners devoted to improving their lot in life, particularly their education; that believes America’s leaders of tomorrow &#8211; our children, their families, and by extension their communities and cities &#8211; should be promised our best efforts today &#8211; this is the thread that ties your autobiography together; this is the clearly woven fabric of the Powell character; and this is therefore the conclusion to which you were naturally led, if not driven, to make perhaps your finest contribution to the country you love – America’s Promise Alliance. General Powell, you raise the following questions in your Epilogue: “A sense of shame is not a bad [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>6</slash:comments>
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