Council members unhappy about mayor’s casino letter

BARSTOW — Some City Council members are upset about a letter Mayor Lawrence Dale wrote to the federal government accusing the Chemehuevi Indian tribe of attempting to “torpedo” the passage of the Barstow casino compacts.

Dale wrote a letter on Aug. 21 to Clay Gregory, director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ Sacramento office, accusing the tribe of providing “misinformation” to the bureau and “continued meddling in the City’s affairs.” Dale wrote his letter in response to an Aug. 8 letter the Chemehuevi tribe submitted to the federal government regarding the proposal of the Los Coyotes/Big Lagoon tribes to build a casino in Barstow. In that letter, the Chemehuevi accused the two other tribes of lacking ancestral ties to the area and of “reservation shopping.”

Council member Joe Gomez made a presentation to the City Council on Tuesday complaining that Dale’s letter appeared to represent the entire council because it was written with the city’s letterhead.

“The mayor wrote a letter representing the city of Barstow and the entire council, and he can’t be doing that,” Gomez said.

Council member Steve Curran also disagreed with Dale’s decision to send the letter, but did not return calls for comment.

Former council member Helen Runyon, a 16-year council veteran who was defeated in her 2006 re-election bid, also disagreed with the mayor’s action.

“He wrote it trying to be Mr. Big Shot. He should not have used the stationary,” she said.

She said she sees the council as growing more divided.

“There’s always a 3-to-2 vote on what the mayor wants; he should stop trying to be the city manager,” Runyon said.

Dale disputed that he was trying to suggest that the council supported his position.

“That letter I wrote was signed by me on my stationary as it comes from the desk of Mayor Lawrence Dale. It represents only my opinion,” Dale said.

According to council member Julie Hackbarth-McIntyre, the mayor wanted the letter to be signed by the entire council but did not want to wait until the next scheduled meeting. The Sept. 3 meeting of the council was canceled due to the Labor Day holiday.

Hackbarth-McIntyre said that she agreed with the mayor’s position and would have signed the letter. She said that the city was working with the Chemehuevi on their plans to bring a casino to Barstow but that progress with the tribe had slowed.

“When they (the Chemehuevi tribe) get a compact with the governor, they can move forward in their negotiations with the city,” she said.

Despite the disagreement among council members, Hackbarth-McIntyre said that she didn’t see the council as overly divisive.

“I think there a few issues on which we have our own opinions, but we’re all pretty much in the same direction on most issues,” she said.

Former council member Gloria Darling, who stepped down due to health concerns, said she thinks the council is more divided than it was when she was a member in 2006. She said that in past years the council always strove to reach a unanimous decision because they knew state and federal agencies were keeping a close watch on Barstow politics due to the casino application.

“I think we have an aggressive council, and we don’t seem to agree on most things now,” she said.

Despite the disagreements, she said that council members are trying to represent their constituents fairly.

“I do truly believe that all members of the council are trying to do the best for the city.”