David Barnett is up to his old political tricks.
 
The Seattle developer behind the proposed Cowlitz casino spent $59,000 on last-minute mailers designed to defeat Tom Mielke in the race for Clark County commissioner, according to Saturday's Columbian.
 
If you feel a sense of déjà vu, that's because Barnett pulled the same stunt against Mielke in 2005.
 
Mielke, long known as an opponent of Barnett's proposed Cowlitz casino, is in a tight race with Pam Brokaw (stay tuned for a final vote tally). In 2005, Mielke lost (with 48.3 percent of the vote) to Steve Stuart -- after Barnett gave $100,000 to an out-of-state PAC that turned around and spent $86,000 on last-minute mailers designed to take down Mielke.
 
The composition of the Board of County Commissioners is being influenced by a man whose apparent sole interest in Clark County is a mega-casino and resort that three local communities and the county itself officially oppose!
 
Barnett's recent spending "dwarfs any other single expenditure in the race, which had already been the county's most expensive this year," according to The Columbian.
 
By the way, Clark County's political circuit is not the only recipient of Barnett's bounty. Recall that Barnett has been filling Snohomish County mailboxes with information attacking a county councilman there who opposes his proposal for a 6,000-house development in a rural part of that county. Just two weeks ago, The Seattle Times reported that he had told County Councilman Dave Somers and an aide that "he was prepared to spend $2.5 million to unseat Somers if he continued his opposition to Barnett's proposed development."
 
Federal decision-makers are looking for a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in the Cowlitz casino application, and the county seems willing to negotiate a replacement for the now-invalid MOU with the tribe.

 

The big question now is: Will Barnett's investments in Clark County politics pay off?