The Lakewood City Council voted 5-1 Monday night to include the citizen initiative in the general election.

The move was expected after minicasino opponents conducted the city’s first initiative drive and turned in more than 4,000 valid signatures this month to force city leaders to adopt the ban directly or put it to a public vote.

City Councilman Ron Cronk didn’t agree with the language of the ballot measure. He said he voted against sending it to voters because some of the wording constituted “politicking” by Lakewood leaders.

He referred to the measure’s explanatory statement, which makes note of the $2.9 million in gambling tax revenue the city collected last year and would lose if the measure passes. He also questioned language that explains that the city’s minicasinos are located within a half-mile of each other and can’t be expanded into noncommercial zones.

“The information is not relevant to the petition itself,” Cronk said.

City Attorney Heidi Wachter explained that the city is legally obliged to explain the impacts of the ban.

Cronk also argued that Brian Wurts, a Lakewood police officer and head of the officers’ union, shouldn’t be one of the three authors of the official statement against the ban. The city has stated that the loss of tax revenue could force it to cut police and other public safety positions.

Including Wurts among the authors “sends the wrong signal” that Lakewood as a city is taking an official stand against the proposed ban, which is prohibited, Cronk said.

The other council members didn’t bring Cronk’s proposal to a vote.

After the meeting, supporters on both sides talked to a reporter in the start of what is likely to be fierce campaigning over the next three months.

David Fretz is president of Great American Gaming Corp., which operates one of Lakewood’s four minicasinos.

He said he was disappointed the ban is going to voters; he said minicasino opponents spread “a lot of inaccuracies” when they gathered signatures.

“We need to educate people,” Fretz said. “We’ve been here a number of years. We’ve been good corporate citizens. We run a clean operation.”

Members of the Save Lakewood anti-minicasino group said they’ll be trying to educate people about the negative impacts of cardroom gambling.

David Anderson, the group’s leader, said he agreed with Cronk that some of the ballot language is irrelevant and that Wurts shouldn’t help draft the “against” statement.

Leaders of Save Lakewood will discuss whether to fight the City Council’s vote and try to get the ballot language changed, which could involve filing a complaint in Pierce County Superior Court, Anderson said.

Brent Champaco: 253-597-8653