Hession’s casino claim denied

Mayor Dennis Hession continued to stick by a claim that Councilwoman Mary Verner once discussed a tribal casino in downtown Spokane, even though it was described by leaders of three area tribes as “misinformation.”

Meanwhile, a Spokane business leader who Hession said would help bolster the claim said Thursday he recalls no conversation with Verner over putting a casino into the Rookery Building as a way to save it from demolition.

Developer Ron Wells said he did talk with Verner to follow up on reports that the tribes might be interested in buying the Rookery or investing in a plan he had to save it. “Nobody ever said casino,” Wells said.

In a letter to The Spokesman-Review, chairmen of the Spokane, Coeur d’Alene and Colville Confederated tribes said any claim that they had plans for a tribal casino at the old Rookery Building was untrue. Hession made reference to such a proposal, which he said Verner discussed with him, at a North Spokane Rotary debate earlier this month.

The tribes “have never sought to conduct gaming within the Rookery Building, or anywhere else within Spokane City limits. Any claim to the contrary is patently false,” the three tribal leaders said, adding that the federal government strictly regulates tribal gaming on Indian Trust Lands.

Verner said during the debate, and has repeated since, that the conversation never happened. Hession is equally insistent that it did, although he has said that it was not an in-depth conversation and nothing in writing was ever presented. He doesn’t recall a specific tribe being mentioned.

“I stick by my story that my recounting of the events is true,” he said after reading the tribal chairmen’s letter.

He also said he was not the only person involved in trying to save the Rookery and Mohawk buildings who were “privy” to the idea. Wells, who was trying to find a strategy to keep the buildings from being demolished, had a “personal visit” with Verner to discuss the proposal, the mayor said.

At the time, the city, preservation advocates and some business leaders were working hard to save the buildings and when the proposal came up, “we treated it very seriously,” Hession added.

Wells confirmed Thursday that he did meet with Verner in her office as the executive director for the Upper Columbia United Tribes after hearing from someone – he couldn’t remember who – that the tribes might be interested in investing with others in a proposal to renovate the building, or buying it. Both options were under discussion at the time, he said.

That’s basically what Wells said he talked with Verner about – whether the tribes would be interested in investing in someone else’s plans or buying the buildings and working with his company to renovate them for commercial use or condominiums. They just had the one conversation, and nothing ever came of it, he said.

“It was just a question of whether they would have some interest,” Wells said. Turning the buildings into a casino or a hotel was never mentioned and “I didn’t jump to the conclusion that Mary was talking about a casino.”

Verner said Thursday she also recalled meeting with Wells, and agreed that they didn’t discuss a casino for the building.

“Of course nothing came up about a casino,” she said. “That whole claim is preposterous.”