Amador County – In a 3-2 vote, the Sutter Creek City Council passed a resolution supporting the Amador County Board of Supervisors’ legal challenge to the Buena Vista Band of Me-Wuk Indians’ compact to operate a casino near Ione. The council heard from Flying Cloud Casino opponents Jerry Cassesi and George Lambert, who urged passage of the resolution. Sutter Creek Mayor Gary Wooten opposed continuance the legal challenge. Wooten said “I know the county spent a couple of million dollars and they lost. … I think the county will spend a lot more money and still lose … I’m sorry Jerry.” Cassesi said “You and I need to have a cup of coffee some time and I’ll give you the real facts.” Mayor Pro Tempore Bill Hepworth said he supported the county’s legal challenge and he voted with Councilwoman Sandra Anderson and Councilman Tim Murphy to approve the resolution. Wooten and Councilman Pat Crosby both voted no. The resolution was added as an emergency item to the consent calendar. It urges Supervisors to “continue the legal challenge to the casino compact,” and notes that “dismissal of the county’s lawsuit was based entirely on procedural grounds (i.e. the Secretary of the Interior’s approval of the compact did not approve any portion of the compact that is unlawful) and the logical next step for the count is to determine the most legally sound approach to seek a legal determination on the challenged components of the compact.” The resolution says a board decision “not to pursue further legal steps … would be a great disservice to the citizens … because there would be no final legal review of the compact and a possible illegal casino could be constructed in Amador County as a result.” The resolutions notes that “inaction in continuing the legal challenge to the Buena Vista compact would likely have adverse impacts on the on-going legal fight against the proposed casino project in Plymouth with the possible result that Amador County would be the home of 3 Class 3 tribal gaming facilities with the inherent traffic congestion and associated criminal activity.” Wooten, despite voting against it, will sign the resolution on behalf of the council. Story by Jim Reece (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).