8.02.07Levin support spurs casino hopes
Senator's backing could push vote in U.S. legislature
By MIKE CONNELL
Times Herald
U.S. Sen. Carl Levin, who had been neutral on the issue of a casino in Port Huron, has switched course and thrown his support behind a proposed casino at the Thomas Edison Inn.
Casino advocates, who had sought the senator's backing for five years, hailed his decision.
"Hopefully, this will get us moving," said Wallace Evans, chairman of the St. Clair County Board of Commissioners. "We either have to get on with it or get off of it, but getting Carl's support is huge. (A casino) is a no-brainer as far as what we need to get things turned around in Port Huron."
Levin, a Democrat, is one of the most influential figures on Capitol Hill. He has served in the Senate since 1978 and is chairman of the powerful Armed Forces Committee.
He voiced his support in a letter to Mayor Alan Cutcher, who had written the senator July 10, a day after the Port Huron City Council passed a resolution on the topic.
"I have been neutral toward this proposal until now, given the number of casinos already in Michigan," Levin wrote. "However, your arguments are persuasive relative to the economic situation in Port Huron, coupled with the presence of the casino in Sarnia. In light of the unique situation, I will support the federal legislation introduced by Rep. Bart Stupak earlier this year allowing the Bay Mills project to proceed if it passes the House of Representatives."Land swap dates to 2002
Stupak's bill, which was co-sponsored by U.S. Rep. Candice Miller, R-Harrison Township, calls for Congress to approve a deal made in August 2002 by former Gov. John Engler and the Bay Mills Chippewa band of the Upper Peninsula.
As part of the deal, Bay Mills surrendered its long-standing claim to property at Charlotte Beach, a 110-acre subdivision on the St. Mary's River south of Sault Ste. Marie. In exchange, Bay Mills would be allowed to buy the Edison Inn, create a reservation and build a casino and resort hotel.
The Engler-Bay Mills agreement does not require the approval of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, as is normal for Indian-run casinos. However, it does require the approval of Congress and President Bush.
The council resolution of July 9, which was introduced by Councilwoman Laurie Sample-Wynn, called on Michigan's congressional delegation to support the agreement. It passed 6-0 with Councilman Jim Fisher abstaining.
Levin's letter was dated July 23. Cutcher, who has been on vacation, was back in town Wednesday, but efforts to reach him for comment were unsuccessful.
Developers ready to build
Mike Malik, a former Algonac city councilman and a close associate of Detroit's wealthy Ilitch family, is spearheading the casino development. He has spent millions of dollars on lawyers and lobbyists in an effort to push the issue through Congress.
"Carl Levin on board with this project will be a great step forward," Malik said. "He's definitely a powerful force who can move this finally to fruition."
Malik said there has been no movement on the Stupak-Miller bill, which was introduced in early May. It remains in the House Natural Resources Committee, and its prospects are unclear. On Wednesday, a committee spokeswoman said nothing is on the schedule for the casino bill.
If the legislation ultimately is approved, Malik said casino developers are ready to begin construction.
"We've been ready for years," he added.
Past bills go nowhere
For five years, Levin had neither supported a Port Huron casino nor opposed it. His ambivalence was regarded as a problem by the casino's supporters because it made it easier for other lawmakers to thwart the project.
In 2002, U.S. Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., blocked it in the Senate, where he is now the majority leader. He was concerned about the precedent of bypassing the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
The bill was rewritten to address Reid's concerns, but it was killed in the House by U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Brighton, a retired FBI agent. Two years ago, another bid was stymied by former U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay, then the House majority leader.
Earlier this year, Miller said the proposal was languishing because it lacked the support of Levin and Gov. Jennifer Granholm.
"If we had a united front, it would be much more helpful," she said.
Saginaw tribe has claim
Miller and U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Lansing, have led the push for a Port Huron casino despite the strong opposition of Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and other Detroit officials, who see it as a competitor to the three casinos in Michigan's largest city.
Levin is a Detroit native and a former president of the Detroit City Council.
The Port Huron casino also is opposed by the Saginaw Chippewa, whose casino at Mount Pleasant is the state's largest gambling facility. The Saginaw tribe argues it - and not Bay Mills - has an ancestral claim to Port Huron. The tribe includes descendants of the Black River and Swan Creek bands, who had reservations in St. Clair County from 1807 to 1836.
Supporters of a Port Huron casino argue it would be an economic boost for the city, which has a double-digit unemployment rate and one of the nation's highest rates of mortgage foreclosures. They also argue that gambling already exists in the larger community.
The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Commission operates its Port Edward Charity Casino directly across the St. Clair River from the Edison Inn. The commission also operates and manages more than 450 slot machines at the privately owned Hiawatha Horse Park in Sarnia.
City desperate for jobs
Richard Cummings, president of the Michigan Machinists Council, said Port Huron desperately needs the 2,500 to 3,000 jobs a casino is expected to produce. The city, faced with a deteriorating tax base and dwindling revenues, also expects to receive a share of the casino's net revenues.
Cummings formerly led the county AFL-CIO, which endorsed the casino ahead of a 2001 advisory vote where Port Huron voters endorsed the project. In return for its support, the AFL-CIO won a pledge that a casino would pay union wages.
"Sen. Levin has high seniority and is on some very important committees," Cummings said. "Sen. Stabenow has been working on this issue all along. With both senators working together, it's a very positive step in the right direction for Port Huron."
Cummings and Evans are among the community leaders who have traveled to Washington to lobby for the casino with Levin and other members of Michigan's congressional delegation.
Levin also has received financial support from casino backers. In the year's first quarter, which ended March 31, the senator received at least $100,000 in campaign contributions from more than 100 donors, including Malik, pizza magnate Mike Ilitch and Port Huron philanthropist Jim Acheson.
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