Candidate leads fight against casino Mayberry says he is trying to keep election, cause separate

Craig Mayberry, Republican candidate for state representative of the 42nd District, has become the unofficial public voice of a grassroots group opposed to the Nooksack Indian Tribe's new casino.

"I've had a lot of people say I shouldn't touch this issue because of the campaign," said Mayberry, who lives in Lynden. "But ... nobody else is stepping up to do that and it needed to be done."

The North County Community Alliance, a citizens group, is fighting the construction of the Lynden-area casino. The alliance is suing the National Indian Gaming Commission and the U.S. Department of the Interior, alleging that the agencies have not done their duty to ensure that the casino isn't a risk to the environment and public safety.

The complaint also questions the tribal trust status of the off-reservation site.

Shortly after the casino plans were announced, Mayberry sent an e-mail expressing his concerns to representatives at Marshall BankFirst Corp., which is financing the casino.

On behalf of the alliance, Mayberry later sent more e-mails, telling the bank about the lawsuit and alleging that the tribe was in violation of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.

"If I were in office right now, I'd be doing the same thing," Mayberry said. "That's part of the political process -- to use your political influence ... to protect the constituency."

Mayberry said the bank has not responded to his e-mails. Marshall BankFirst did not return calls for comment.

Mayberry's opponent, incumbent Kelli Linville, D-Bellingham, also believes that a casino does not belong in the rural area north of Lynden but has taken a different approach to the fight.

"I'm disappointed that my opponent says it's a sovereign issue," Linville said, describing Mayberry's position as questioning the tribe's sovereignty on the casino issue.

After speaking with the governor's office, Linville said she was assured the site was trust land, which is not subject to state and local regulations.

"Once you are an elected official, you are sworn to uphold the law, so it's good for you to know the law before you shoot your mouth off," Linville said.

Linville said she is concentrating her efforts on making sure "taxpayers don't foot the bill for infrastructure that's off trust land," such as nearby roads.

Mayberry said he is not using the casino issue to get elected and, in fact, that effort is taking time away from his campaign.

"I didn't get involved with it because I'm running. I got involved with it because I'm concerned about the situation," he said. "I've tried to do as much as I could to keep the two efforts separate."