Ilitch Spokesman confirmed Wheat, Brown & Rossetti were on board for lobbying and consultation

as pubished 10.20.04 in the Desert Dispatch:

"...There are no guarantees that the state or federal government will approve the casino, but BarWest has an impressive team, including Alan Wheat, a former congressman from Kansas; Mike Rossetti, formerly a top aide to Interior Secretary Gale Norton; and Willie Brown, former mayor of San Francisco.

"Shields said

• Wheat is on board as a federal lobbyist,


• Brown is doing state lobbying and


• Rosetti, an attorney, is a consultant. Shields said Rosetti is an asset partly because he's well-respected at the Interior Department..."

1. Wheat Government Relations has been retained by Barwest LLC as well as other Michael Malik/Marian Ilitch affiliates (Gateway Casino Resorts LLC, Blue Water Resorts LLC) and tribal partners (Little River Band of Ottawa Indians, Bay Mills Indian Community, Shinnecock Indian Nation). From 2002-2006 those entities paid Wheat Government Relations at least $1.4 million.
   


2. While Barwest spokesman Tom Shields indicated Willie L. Brown, Jr. was a lobbyist for Barwest LLC and the Los Coyotes Band of Indians, Brown was never registered as their lobbyist with the California Secretary of State as would be required.
   


3. Michael Rossetti's status as a "Consultant" to the Detroit casino syndicators, while employed at a law firm (Akin Gump) that also is one of the top three lobbying firms on Capitol Hill, is suspect. Although the Detroit Team has retained other Akin Gump attorneys who are not registered as their lobbyists either. Rossetti's post Interior role with the Seneca Nation which has come into question is similar to his role with Barwest and the Los Coyotes Band of Indians, although Rossetti earlier had intervened on the Seneca Nation's behalf while still at Interior.