There Can Be No Doubt Detroiters' Hawaii Lobbyist John Radcliffe Created Pro-Casino So-Called 'Citizens' Group'

More Proof You Can't Trust Hawaii Gambling Lobbyist John Radcliffe

BUSTED!

Sudagar Dhandapani
System Analyst
Capitol Consultants of Hawaii

John Radcliffe, a Hawaii lobbyist for Detroit casino syndicators Michael Malik and Marian Ilitch, has denied any relationship with a so-called “grassroots” citizens group that appeared last Spring and is promoting Radcliffe’s same “good economic  policy” pro-casino message; however, TheVerifiableTruth.com has learned that an employee at Radcliffe’s lobbying firm, Capitol Consultants of Hawaii (CCH), established and owns the website for the group Citizens for a Better Way (CFBW).

John Radcliffe has been identified as an on-again, off-again Hawaii lobbyist for Detroit casino syndicators Michael Malik and Marian Ilitch.  They are part of a mainland syndicate that’s tried to legalize gambling in Hawaii since 2000.  They want to develop and operate a gambling hall on Waikiki Beach.

As Hawaii’s 2010 gubernatorial campaign was getting underway, the Detroiter’s re- engaged Radcliffe for the purpose of influencing the elections and renewing the debate for legalized gambling in a new Administration.  Hawaii and Utah are the only states that do not have any form of legalized gambling.

As part of this renewed push, Radcliffe’s been promoting a message that suggests gambling would be good “economic policy” for cash-strapped Hawaii.  Last Spring, Citizens for a Better Way (CFBW) appeared out of nowhere.  Liz Watanabe, a master at self-promotion, has been identified by Radcliffe as the leader of CFBW. Watanabe is the founder of the Hata Foundation, a non-profit founded in 2009 affiliated with a reality TV poker tournament filmed in Honolulu and aired Saturdays on KHON during 2010 -- Hawaii's Big Deal. It's not clear who produced/funded Hawaii's Big Deal but Watanabe identified herself as Executive Producer. 

While both Watanabe and Radcliffe deny he created, is funding or controls CFBW; the group echoes Radcliffe’s “good economic policy” message and has produced videos that feature Radcliffe prominently.  Those videos are airing on cable TV and are featured on the CFBW YouTube channel. A media story suggested that robocalls (pre-recorded, automated telephone calls) went out to Oahu voters in the Spring of encouraging people to call their elected officials and urge them to vote to legalize gambling.  Somebody produced the videos, retaioned the robocall provider and paid for the cable TV spots. Somebody's established the social media presence.

Radcliffe and Watanabe seem naïve to the “information age” and frankly, demonstrate they and those working on their behalf are amateurs.

The truth is, that "somebody" in part is Sudagar Dhandapani, an employee at Radcliffe’s Capitol Consultants lobbying firm.  Dhandapani established and "owns" the CFBW website. TVT has received third-party confirmation of Dhandapani’s involvement from DomainTools.com.

Dhandapani, truly a computer geek, is identified as a System Analyst on the staff page of the Capitol Consultants Website and has been employed there since 2004.  His resume suggests he’s also been employed with G.A. Morris, Inc. since 2002.  That company is owned by Capitol Consultants' President George A. “Red” Morris.  Dhandapani owns other websites too.  No doubt he set up and manages the CFBW Facebook and YouTube channels because Radcliffe and Watanabe certainly don't have the wherewithal.

Amateurs!

Disgraced Lobbyist Jack Abramoff Out of Jail and on 60 Minutes; Talks About What He Did & How He Did It

click arrow below to play video here

Jack Abramoff: The lobbyist's playbook

November 6, 2011 4:02 PM

Crooked lobbyist Jack Abramoff explains how he asserted his influence in Congress for years, and how such corruption continues today despite ethics reform. Lesley Stahl reports.

Read Story: Jack Abramoff: The lobbyist's playbook

John Radcliffe, Capitol Consultants of Hawaii: Lobbys for Detroit Casino Syndicators' Waikiki Gambling Hall Dreams

From the Capitol Consultants of Hawaii website (About Us | CCH Team)

John Radcliffe
Vice President, Lead Lobbyist

John is a veteran union leader, educator, writer, speaker, lecturer, and governmental and political action specialist. During the past three decades he has been involved in more political campaigns in Hawaii than virtually any other person. An active lobbyist at the state and national level for forty years, he has been a legislative advocate for clients in Hawaii for thirty-four of those years. John served from 1975 to 1988 as the Executive Director of the Hawaii State Teachers Association, and turned it into a political powerhouse. He was also the Associate Executive Director of the University of Hawaii Professional Assembly from 1989 to 2007 where he created a very successful political and lobbying program. He also served as a Special Assistant for Education under Governor Waihee, and as the CEO of a number of successful independent political action organizations and groups, such as Good Neighbors/Good Planning, the organization that spearheaded the defeat of land use initiatives in Hawaii, and The Coalition For Automobile Insurance Reform, which succeeded in reforming the auto insurance business in Hawaii by limiting the power of plaintiff attorneys. He has served as an educational and as an organizational consultant to numerous educational associations throughout the United States. John has served on numerous board and commissions in Hawaii, including the Hawaii Public Schools Foundation, the Aloha Council of Boy Scouts of America, the Aloha United Way, the State of Hawaii Public Employees Health Fund Board, the Employer-Union Health Fund Trust, the Hawaii Health Care Task Force, The State Central Committee of the Hawaii Democratic Party, and many others. He attended the University of Wisconsin, The University of Illinois, The Illinois Institute of Technology-Chicago Kent College of Law, The University of Chattanooga, Winthrop College, and he taught at the University of Georgia. He has degrees from the University of Wisconsin and the University of Illinois. He is the author of numerous articles on politics, lobbying, and government. (Complete Resume)

Others affiliated with Capitol Consultants of Hawaii:

G.A. Red Morris President, Lead Lobbyist Melody Butay Dacanay Administrative Director Celeste Nip Senior Legislative Consultant Affiliate Lobbyist

Ross Yamasaki Subject Matter Specialist Fred Hirayama Legislative Consultant Sudagar Dhandapani System Analyst

Melissa Takaaze Legislative Assistant

Detroit's Casinos Poised to Lose 20-30% of Their Business to new Hollywood Casino Toledo next year

Short-sighted infighting and competitive jealousy among Detroit's three casino operators 

could keep them from working together to collectively market Detroit as a destination 

with sports venues, theaters, concert halls and other attractions.

Penn National Gaming's Hollywood Casino Toledo

Matt Helm of the Detroit Free Press is reporting that Penn National Gaming is set to open Hollywood Casino Toledo in April.  The $300 million gambling palace will have 2,000 slot machines, 60 table games and 20 live poker tables; comparable in size to Detroit's three commercial casinos.  

For more than a decade, Toledo residents who had an urge to gamble got in their cars or on charter buses to make the one-hour drive north on I-75 where they could play at any Detroit's three Las Vegas-style casinos. However, with the opening of the Toledo casino, locals there hope to stem the steady traffic northward and keep that gambling money in Toledo.

Detroit casino operators won't talk in detail about where their customers live, so it's not clear how much of the $1.3 billion in revenues reported at Detroit's three casinos each year since 2006 comes from Ohio residents.

But Jake Miklojcik, a casino analyst and president of Lansing-based Michigan Consultants who is often used as a resource by Detroit's casino operators, said he has heard out-of-state gamblers -- primarily from Ohio and Ontario -- represent as much as 20% to 30% of the clientele who sign up for Detroit casino player loyalty cards.

That Detroit’s self-interested casinos now spend their efforts as Miklojcik explains, "fighting over the same patron, money Detroit is going to get anyway," may create even greater exposure for the Detroit gambling halls. "That fight over that person," Miklojcik explains, " is a zero-sum game for the industry as a whole."

Penn National is the nation's third largest gambling enterprise with vast marketing expertise and experience. Their newest casino will open with amenities including a top-notch steakhouse, live entertainment seven days a week, and plentiful parking -- nearly 2,900 spaces.  Penn National understands the importance of partnering with hotels in downtown Toledo and in nearby suburbs to offer entertainment packages with destinations such as the Huntington Center to lure visitors.  The company plans to market “over the border” in southeast Michigan as well, including billboards along I-75 and U.S.-23.

The Toledo casino will be the first of four casinos to open in Ohio since voters approved one for each of the State’s four biggest cities. Penn National will operate all four venues.  Read more

New Hollywood Casino Toledo just 1-hour for downtown Detroit

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Hawaii's Former Governor John D. Waihee III Opposed Legalized Gambling in Hawaii

as it appeared in the report "The Case Against Casino Gambling" published by Pennsylvanians Against Gambling Expansion

“The whole idea behind the casino business is to keep the bettor transfixed, spending and spending in one place … If we had gambling in Hawaii, it would seriously undercut our tourist industry, rather than support it.”

— Hawaii Gov. John Waihee,

in Travel Holiday magazine

Mayor: Detroiters Should Build Their Shinnecock Casino at the Nassau County "Hub" not Belmont Park

Mayor Thomas J. Tweedy

MAYOR'S MESSAGE
11.04.2011

Mayor’s Message Village of Floral Park: November 4, 2011

When newsmakers release a report late on a Friday afternoon, chances are it’s usually not something that puts them in the best light. Stories released in the classic “Friday afternoon dump,” as the cynical strategy is called, are purposely intended to be a one-day story published over the weekend. Such may well be the case of the Long Island Economic Council’s release on late Friday Oct. 14 of its proposal it subtitles “Nassau Hub Transformative Project,” but which could be subtitled “Dump into Belmont Park All Pet Projects.”

Hofstra University President Stuart Rabinowitz, who has apparently ignored the call to step aside as co-chairman of the Long Island Economic Council, must take some “credit” for the plan his group released on a recent Friday afternoon. Hofstra University’s 220 acres of not-for-profit property on Hempstead Turnpike is adjacent to the 77-acre site of the Nassau Coliseum that is owned by the taxpayers of Nassau County. The Long Island Economic Council’s report is proposing that the Nassau Coliseum site be changed to a new research and development complex. Even more disturbing is the suggestion that the Nassau Coliseum, which since 1972 has been the heart of the entire development, could be moved from “the Hub” to Belmont Park!

The suggestion that Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, built for under $32 million in 1972, should make way for Hofstra’s grand vision for its own neighboring 77-acre site is incredible! As our Statement of Principles on Belmont Park has already referenced; when Yankee Stadium was replaced, it was rebuilt across the street and when the New York Mets home was replaced, it was replaced in its own existing parking lot.

The current Nassau Coliseum, which originally contained 409,963 square feet of floor area, can be replaced at the same place it already exists by a state-of- the-art entertainment center. Representatives of the Shinnecock Indian Nation have also expressed interest in obtaining a portion of the Nassau County “Hub” site to construct a casino. What was predicted at its opening in The New York Times to become “the Disneyland of Nassau County” could finally become a reality. There are also over 6,000 parking spaces at Nassau Coliseum. So the proposal by the group, led by Hofstra’s president, that $150 million from New York’s taxpayers should be used to build a new 6,000-space parking garage at the very same site where they already exist, sounds absurd.

Belmont Park, which opened in 1905, has been called the Taj Mahal of American Racing by Sports Illustrated and was envisioned by August Belmont, Jr., William Whitney and other horse owners to be enjoyed by future generations as much as Central Park, Prospect Park or Van Cortland Park. The “vision” of Hofstra University Rabinowitz’s group, however, is to turn Belmont Park into an all-you –can-eat buffet line full of half-baked ideas.

The less than 400 words that the Long Island Economic Council dedicates to Belmont Park in its 32-page report demonstrates the lack of consideration they have given it. Their report even rather sloppily refers to Belmont Park as “Belmont Raceway.” Any thoroughbred horse fan knows a “raceway” is for trotters or NASCAR races, while the sport of kings is run on a track. The cursory references to Belmont Park also suggest that a casino be built as well as a stadium for a semi-professional soccer team. Perhaps the planning group also does not realize that the 10,000-seat stadium at Mitchel Field was built for a professional soccer team. Once again, why recreate at Belmont Park what already exists at the Hub? If a semi-professional soccer team is interested in playing in Nassau County, perhaps Hofstra’s president could offer the use of the 13,000-seat stadium at Hofstra University, since it has disbanded its highly regarded football team. The new soccer team could even use the practice facilities where the New York Jets used to play, since they are no longer at Hofstra either.

As to the suggestion for the location of a casino in Nassau County, if Nassau County planners are eager to obtain a steady revenue windfall from a casino, then the first place it should be built is on land already owned and controlled by Nassau County. Just because Hofstra University President Stuart Rabinowitz does not want a casino at the Hub near Hofstra does not mean it cannot be done there.

Keep the Nassau Coliseum where the Nassau Coliseum is now. If Nassau County wants a casino, it should be built on its own land at the Hub and not at Belmont Park.

Detroiter Malik Says He's Been Planning Belmont Race Track Casino for 6+ Years; But He Has Yet to Meet with NYRA Officials

Developers Discuss Proposal for Belmont Racetrack

11.04.2011

By Rich Forestano 

Renderings of casino displayed for local businesses

Belmont Racetrack has played host to events as large as third-leg of the Triple Crown and as small, but still of importance, as 5K charity walk/runs. If a Detroit-based hotel/casino resort development company has its way, the corridor of Elmont and a “gateway” to the rest of Long Island, will go through a considerable change.

.

left to right: Michael McKeon, Lance Boldrey,

John Waihee, Michael Malik

Developer Michael Malik presented renderings of a preliminary plan to the Elmont Chamber of Commerce last Thursday, Oct. 20. Malik’s colleagues Michael McKeon, Lance Boldrey and former Hawaii Governor John Waihee accompanied him.

Malik, a partner to the Shinnecock Indian Nation and financial backer for the tribe’s casino proposal, said the development has been attempting to find its stride for several months, but began to gain momentum when Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano announced his Economic Development and Job Creation Plan in May. Malik has been at the forefront of heading event control for the World Series, the NCAA Final Four, among others. [REALLY Mike Malik? Maybe some of the people you share office space with at Ilitch headquarters  have been involved at some level but you... He'll say anything!]

Malik revealed that he and his team have been targeting the Belmont’s development for six or seven years. Furthermore, the location is a prime spot for gaming development, according to Malik.

Malik designed the first development renderings in approximately 2005. They have since changed, dramatically.

The renderings were not permitted to be photographed, which showcased a casino building with a Victorian-style red brick facade, ground-to-ceiling paneled windows and a copper-patina roof, located on the southwest side of Belmont near the Cross Island Parkway, to give customers easier access and a new Belmont Park structure with the same design.

A grand entrance with fountains and galleries showcasing the history of Belmont is also in discussion. A circled driveway would take customers to and from the casino with malls of grass.

“Nothing has been set in stone; however, it has modernized features with a historic feel,” Malik said. “We would think to put the casino off the freeway itself, so that people can come on and off. We also added in a parking deck area on the opposite side of the street.”

The drawings also included an irrigation system on the south side of the park, beyond the main track, near the border of the Village of Floral Park, which has been prone to flooding. He stressed that these drawings “are not final.”

“The irrigation system would help to resolve that flooding problem, as well as help keep the track and surrounding green dry,” Malik explained.

Malik detailed an idea to take the flood waters that have plagued Floral Park and filter them into the infield in the middle of the track to provide a “welcomed aesthetic” to the infield, while addressing the flooding issues for the village to the north.

Other ideas portrayed in the renderings were a recreational area and private parking lot on the southern end of the park; an indoor train station next to the park; and a central area for parading horses before and after meets, and showing off winning horses. The alley that horses currently take into the park is hidden, beneath the bleachers, and the winner’s circle is closer to track level, away from spectators’ view.

Malik said the horse parades would be one of the many crucial pieces to the fan/family experience.

“We want the world to focus on Belmont,” he said. “We want people who are watching the Belmont Stakes on television to want to come.”

Malik detailed a new seating area in the center of the infield. He said the height of the building could be between 12 and 15 stories.

When Elmont Chamber President Chris Rosado asked Malik whether he thought the casino development might harm nearby businesses, Malik said that, although he couldn’t definitively say for sure, he believes a casino would boost business since the casino is expected to create at least 5,000 jobs.

Malik said he hopes to sit down with the New York Racing Association (NYRA) and discuss its proposal soon. Concerning negotiations, Malik would not divulge how long it would take.

“We want to get this done as soon as possible,” he said. “Hopefully within the next year we hope to be through our approvals. That’s kind of the guideline we’re in.

Here They Go Again: Hawaii Anticipates Detroiters Will Again Wage Battle for Gambling on Waikiki Beach

'Gambling in Hawaii' poised for replay at the Legislature
11.04.2011

By Richard Borreca

The projectors are warming up, the reels are threaded on the sprockets and we are almost ready to start screening our once-a-decade home movie: "Gambling in Hawaii."

There was a sneak peek last year when two state senators attempted to push through a last-minute bill without a public hearing that would have allowed one stand-alone casino in Waikiki.

But legislative leaders turned the lights on and the movie was pau.

The full version is expected to play to packed matinee crowds when the Legislature reopens in January.
Cast as the leading advocate is John Radcliffe, a local lobbyist of some repute.

"In my view it will be a significant issue before the 2012 Legislature. There will be significant citizen input on the issue," says Radcliffe, who represents Marketing Resources Group of Michigan, connected to groups representing several mainland casinos.

Returning in his role as foremost gambling opponent is Hawaii's senior U.S. senator, Daniel K. Inouye.

In an interview last week, I asked Inouye, in light of the state's serious need for new sources of income and jobs, why not a casino.

"Contrary to what they say, it is not an easy source of money," Inouye warned, reprising his 2002 statements.
Back then, Inouye said relying on gambling to fund state duties such as education would be "sinful."

"To say that gaming will be part of our economic development and alleviate our problems is a cop-out," Inouye said to the Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii almost a decade ago.

Last week, Inouye agreed "the state may pick up money," but he warned the state will have to come up with more money toward increased welfare, crime and other social ills associated with gambling.

Radcliffe counters that "casinos or other forms of gaming entertainment are enjoyed by 100 percent of the American population outside of Hawaii and Utah," so why should there be discrimination in Hawaii?

"Prohibition of liquor didn't work for the U.S. from 1920 to 1933, and prohibition of gaming is not working for Hawaii. It needs to be regulated and controlled," Radcliffe said.

Whenever we run this movie, we are deep into the Al Capone metaphors before the second reel.

Radcliffe is invoking prohibition, but Inouye tops him by hinting darkly that you just don't want these gamblers around.

"By the very nature of that enterprise, gaming and gambling, you are going to include people who are not the kind you take home for dinner," Inouye said last week.

In 2002, Inouye envisioned a Waikiki not filled with joyful honeymooners smooching on the lanai but instead, "The people who come to this hotel will be a different type of people."

I asked Inouye how he can be against gambling for Hawaii, but has been a champion of allowing Native Americans to permit casinos on their reservations.

"It is their sovereign right. ... I have told the Indians, I support your right to have gambling, but I always tell them to get other sources of income," he answered.

Richard Borreca writes on politics on Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays. Reach him at rborreca@staradvertiser.com.

Here's just one of the comments that appeared:

KeithHaugen wrote:

It's the same story every year -- the gamblilng industry, the syndicate and others try again, and again, to introduce legalized gambling in Hawai`i, with total disregard for the increases in crime and other social ills that always accompany such a move. Then sometime during the legislative session, the elected officials find out that the vast majority of Hawai`i residents are smarter than they think and they realize they would be ousted in the next election,and the gambling bills fail, to the rejoicing of the community. Each year, the gambling companies that make millions or billions off those willing to give up their money, try to make us think that gambling is harmless "gaming" and their is not risk to the community, only to those who lose their money. That doesn't work either. We're smarter than they are, or at least smarter than they think we are.

Citizens for a Better Way, a Group Fronting for Detroit Casino Syndicators in Hawaii, Establishes Digital Media Channels With Poor Result

Citizens for a Better Way is a so-called "grassroots" citizens group organized in Honolulu by lobbyist John Radcliffe, Liz Watanabe and others fronting for the interests of Detroit Casino Syndicators (Michael Malik and Marian Ilitch) who are taking renewed steps push legalized gambling in Hawaii. The Detroiters' goal: win approvals to develop and operate a Waikiki Casino.

Earlier this year, the professional lobbyists retained by the Detroiters, set up a website at citizensforabetterway.com, and a Facebook page to promote their agenda. In September they created a YouTube Channel, CFBWHawaii.

citizensforabetterway.com

The website features:

• Template to capture email addresses and contact details of interested parties, 
• News room and archive, 
• Three videos featuring the Detroiters' paid advocates and produced using a public affairs roundtable discussion format plus schedules detailing when those videos will air on local cable television channels, and 
• Revised 2010 Impact Study prepared by Jacob Miklojcik, the same Michigan consultant who created their 2000 Impact Study.  

The newsroom features reprints of letter-to-the-editor and op-eds that have been published promoting the Detroiters' agenda.  It's interesting to note that among the authors are those who've been previously paid to represent Detroiters' interests.

CFBW on Facebook

The real difference between the 2000 and 2010 studies: the earlier study considered two Oahu casinos and the latest study considers one Oahu casino. Miklojcik produced similar studies in the 1990s that helped the Detroiters win voter approvals needed to legalize gambling and establish casinos in Detroit. The projections were optimistic and by all accounts implied that legalized gambling would be the jackpot that would help turn Detroit's circumstances around.

Detroit's Las Vegas-style casinos opened their doors more than ten years ago; and yet, in recent months Forbes ranked Detroit the #1 Most Dangerous City in America and workers at Marian Ilitch's MotorCity Casino were forced to start paying healthcare expenses or face job losses.  Detroit's casinos haven't been the blessing local taxpayers had hoped for.

CFBWHawaii on YouTube

The Facebook page was created in April, and the website promotes the Facebook page with a button/link, at this point it could be considered a failure with just 13 fans or users who "Like" the CFBW Facebook page and relatively little regular engagement among that handful of fans, with the exception of one male, Lawrence Ujimori.

On average, the videos posted to CFBW's YouTube channel are being watched on average, once daily, and that's likely by those who are paid to advocate for the Detroiters' interests or people who land their by chance.

As an exercise in organic grassroots social media, the so-called citizens group has failed to get any traction or attract an engaged constituency who would support their gambling agenda. Absent some significant change in circumstances, they'll be using paid advertising and manufacturing the appearances of "grassroots" support should Radcliffe's lobbying efforts require that during the 2012 legislative cycle.

Detroit Gambling Promoters Trying to Buy Influence with NY Senator Schumer?

Sen. Charles Schumer

Although U.S. Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) was against efforts by the Shinnecock Indian Nation to receive Federal Recognition, Michael J. Malik, Sr., the controversial Detroit gambling promoter behind the Shinnecock's successful efforts, and an individual whose affiliates (Gateway Casino Resorts, etc.) apparently have exclusive rights to develop, manage and operate any future Shinnecock Long Island casino(s), is among the top seven donors to Schumer's secret IMPACT PAC. (Source: FindTheData.org)

Further Malik, and members of Detroit's Ilitch Family (his gambling partners) have contributed a total of $24,200 to Schumer's political committees since April 2010. (Source: opensecrets.org)

In addition between June 2008 and September 2010, Malik contributed another $45,400 to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), the group responsible for getting Democrats re-elected to the U.S. Senate. In total, Malik and members of the Ilitch family have contributed  $210,600.00 to the DSCC since December 2005.(Source: transparencydata.com)

Schumer was re-elected to the Senate in November 2010.

See also:

• Scandal Continues to Plague Political and Lobbying Activities of Detroiters Bankrolling Shinnecock Casino Plans
• NY Governor Cuomo Latest To Reject Campaign Contributions from Ilitch Gambling Partner Michael Malik
• Questions Surrounding $15K Gov. Cuomo Accepted From Detroit Casino Syndicator
• NY Senators Return Michael Malik's Campaign Contributions
• Rep. Tim Bishop (D-NY) Caught Taking More Money from Notorious Law-Breaking Detroit Casino Syndicator
• Congressman Bishop Under Fire For Accepting Michael Malik's Contribution
• Ilitch affiliate retains former U.S. Senator Alfonse D'Amato's lobbying firm to push New York Casino plans for Shinnecock

TheVerifiableTruth.com Welcomed 100,000th Visitor

100,000 Visitors | TheVerifiableTruth.com

Today were proud to report, TheVerifiableTruth.com, organized in 2006 to shed light on the activities, affiliates and partners of secretive yet controversial Detroit Casino Syndicators including Michael J. Malik, Sr. and Marian Ilitch welcomed our 100,000th visitor!

Despite claims by Malik/Ilitch highly paid mouthpieces, TheVerifiableTruth.com is staffed with the generous volunteer resources of citizens activists across the United States who have come together to pool knowledge and resources and create a centralized archive of verifiable resources that otherwise wouldn't be available or would take weeks of research to discover or uncover.

Thank you to all who have contributed to the success of TheVerifiableTruth.com, a source that's now sought out and referenced by civic and elected leaders from town halls to Capitol Hill, government agencies and departments at all levels, activists, business leaders, journalists, taxpayers and voters. Among others, we are most thankful for the tremendous resources and refinements provided by OpenSecrets.org, TransparencyData.com, SunlightFoundation.com, FollowTheMoney.org and pogo.com.

Naive Ignorance: Genesee County Officials Made Agreements with the now-Former Bay Mills Leader, Reportedly the Same Day he was Voted From Office

Naive Ignorance:  One must wonder if the Genesee County officials mentioned in the article referenced in this post had even a clue that the Bay Mills Indians were holding an election this week and that now-former Tribal Chair Jeff Parker was facing a re-election challenge. That Genesee officials report making an agreement with Parker on the very day he was voted out of office hardly seems prudent.

Three words to remember for the future:  Homework & Due Diligence.

For a generation, Parker had tightly ruled the Bay Bills Indian Community.  Now there will be a new regime at the helm.  Did Genesse County officials even anticipate that?  Did they anticipate that any agreements with Parker might well be moot, simply unacceptable or even non-binding under the new regime?

It's understandable that local officials have little to no experience dealing with Indian tribes and Indian issues, but before they leap into discussions with or consider agreements with new leaders, they would be best served to survey their experienced counterparts representing communities in and out of Michigan and to also consult with lawyers and others with such expertise. Although they'll try -- their track record suggests so -- the tribal leaders and those behind the tribe's schemes are likely to refer expert lawyers and consultants for consideration by Township and County officials who would be wise to avoid any such referrals and instead seek out such expertise independently. Historically, the people behind the Bay Mills schemes have referred counsel and consultants sympathetic to their interests and those of their Indian partner.

Presently the Bay Mills owned land in Flint Township does not qualify as "Indian Lands." That is the opinion rendered by the State of Michigan, U.S. Department of Interior, National Indian Gaming Commission and District Court.  The only one who suggested otherwise is now the former Chair of the Bay Mills Indian Community.  The Flint Township property is not sovereign, nor held in trust, nor tax exempt; rather, it is subject to the same codes, regulations, laws, fees and taxes expected of others who own local property.  There is no need for special emergency services agreements or other arrangements at this time for negotiated fees in lieu of taxes.  And given the tribe's track record in Port Huron, it could be 20 years or more before anything like that is required or otherwise needed, so why agree to anything now?

Genesee County Road Commission agrees to road pact with Bay Mills Indian Community

11.03.2011

By Ron Fonger

FLINT TWP., Michigan -- No one is certain what will happen to undeveloped land owned by the Bay Mills Indian Community here, but the Genesee County Road Commission has agreed to partner with the tribe on future road improvements in the area.

The Road Commission on Tuesday approved an agreement with Bay Mills than could lead to special funding for roads in the area immediately surrounding the tribe's land at Dutcher and Lennon roads.

Road Commission Manager-Director John Daly said a representative of Bay Mills talked to county road officials last month, suggesting the "acknowledgement of public authority responsibility" agreement.

Tribal leaders had no new information about how the property will be developed and made no requests tied to future road needs... (Complete Story)

Liar, Liar: Ilitch using MotorCity Casino Jackpots to Fund Gambling Habits Outside Michigan; Pay-Off Las Vegas Casino Lords and Wall Street Fat Cats

Promises, Promises: Failed!
Both Marian Ilitch (she owns Detroit's MotorCity Casino) and Michael Malik (he was a MotorCity partner until he failed to get a Michigan gaming license in 1999) were behind the campaigns in the 1990s that asked Detroit voters to approve three Las Vegas-style commercial gambling halls. They promised Detroiters that approving gambling in Detroit would result in an economic windfall and help turn Detroit around. They said that casinos in Detroit would mean Detroit would capture gaming revenue instead of loosing it to Windsor or Las Vegas or elsewere.

Ilitch/Malik and the Detroit-based founders of MotorCity Casino told Detroiters that giving their enterprise the right to develop and operate one of three commercial casinos in Detroit meant keeping gambling revenue in Detroit.

And when Marian Ilitch took control of MotorCity Casino from Las Vegas-based Mirage Resorts in 2005, Ilitch spokespersons and MotorCity ad campaigns implied that Detroit-owned meant MotorCity Casino would uniquely be inclined to keep casino money in Detroit; that somehow Marian Ilitch would see the money stayed in Detroit.

Rich Got Richer, Not Detroit
Really? Casino doors have been open for ten years and yet Forbes just ranked Detroit as the #1 Most Dangerous City in America. Last month MotorCity Casino workers were told to start paying their own health care costs or face job loses. And since opening MotorCity Casino, Ilitch and Malik have made a habit out of chasing failed casino schemes in New York, California and Hawaii funded by Detroit casino money.

So yeah, Detroit money stayed in Detroit. Some small part of it... in the bank accounts of people named Ilitch and Malik.  Forbes says Mike & Marian Ilitch are now worth $2 billion; and last year Mike Malik dropped $300,000 on a Las Vegas wedding that lasted one month and bought a $5.4 million New York City (Central Park West) Penthouse.  But last month they told MotorCity Casino workers to start paying their own health care costs.

Truth is, the millions people are leaving on the gaming table and in the bellies of slot machines at MotorCity Casino aren't even staying in Michigan.

Truth is MotorCity Casino Making Las Vegas, Foreign Banks & Walls Street Fat Cats Richer
First, Marian Ilitch's 2005 acquisition of MotorCity Casino's controlling shares and the subsequent casino renovation/expansion that followed, came at a big price; hundreds of millions in fact that Marian Ilitch borrowed from out of state banks and Wall Street. And right now it's costing Detroit.  She's financing MotorCity Casino on the backs of Detroit's taxpayers.

If MotorCity Casino wasn't so highly leveraged or had stayed true to its original financial projections and the economic studies they used to sell voters on gambling halls in the 1990s, maybe MotorCity Casino workers wouldn't have been told this last month to start paying their own health care costs or face losing their jobs.

Yes, Marian Ilitch did pony up some family cash to fund a small portion of the buyout and expansion, but in truth, she paid for her business decisions, in most part, with hundreds of millions borrowed by leveraging Ilitch assets and future MotorCity Casino earnings to attract investments from foreign banks and Wall Street. And because some of the investment "opportunities" were so risky they are rated as "junk bonds," Ilitch is paying higher interest terms.

Today, millions in cash Detroiters are leaving on the gaming tables and in the slot machines at MotorCity Casino flow directly to pay off Las Vegas casino interests, foreign banks and Wall Street fat cats.

If that wasn't bad enough, a big chunk of the millions Ilitch is raking in at MotorCity Casino have been spent attempting to expand the Ilitch gambling empire outside of Michigan -- to fund failed Ilitch/Malik ego projects.

MotorCity Casino Funding Failed Schemes to Expand Ilitch Gambling Empire Outside of Michigan
Yes, since opening the doors of MotorCity Casino, Ilitch and Malik have spent millions chasing prestige casino schemes outside of Detroit -- way outside, in New York, California and Hawaii.

As an example, here's a rough accounting of the millions the Detroiters have spent chasing just their New York City / Belmont Race Track casino dreams:

• $25 million to acquire the exclusive rights to develop, manage and operate a casino
• $5.4 million to purchase a NYC Penthouse
• $2.3 million to D.C. Lobbyists
• $1.5 million to Albany Lobbyists
• $1.5 million to Political Campaign Committees

That's more than $35 million and just what's been disclosed or which they are forced to disclose. Most of what goes on at Ilitch Holdings is kept secret and under wraps. For a decade, they've certainly incurred other expenses. Consider millions spent during the last decade:  flying a private jet back and forth to New York several times a week; paying attorneys and public relations and advertising execs in Lansing, Detroit, D.C., Albany and New York City; keeping the leaders of the Shinnecock Indian Nation in toe; and so on.

Shame, Shame!
Shame on Marian Ilitch and Mike Malik for promising they'd keep the gambling money in Detroit. Shame on them for suggesting to fellow Detroiters that if they were allowed to operate a gambling hall in the Motor City somehow Detroit would be a better place to live. Seems like the moment MotorCity Casino opened its doors, Marian Ilitch and Michael Malik forgot the promises they made to Detroit and they've never regretted their lies and misrepresentations.

Was it Dennis Whittlesey's Intent to make the case for Michael Malik's Los Coyotes Barstow (Off-Reservation) Casino?

For more than 15 years, attorney Dennis Whittlesey has been a tool of Detroit gambling promoters.  Among other things, Detroiter Michael Malik’s crew has previously introduced him into their Barstow (CA) casino schemes.  With his latest article is Whittlesey making the case for Malik’s Los Coyotes casino in Barstow, 165 miles away from the tribe’s so-called "remote" and "undevelopable," geographically undesireable San Diego County reservation?

United States: Another Tribal Casino Facing Financial Distress – This One May Have Been Its Own Worst Enemy

11.01.2011

By Dennis J. Whittlesey

...The casino site is located on the Dry Creek Rancheria, a small federal fee tract of land located some seven miles east of U.S. Highway 101 at Geyserville. Visitors must drive a two-lane country road to reach the site, and then navigate a narrow, winding country road (now paved) up a steep hillside to the casino itself. Water supply and waste disposal have been problems in the past, although one of the project's worst problems was that the hill was unstable and a major "hillside stabilization project" had to be completed before major construction could be commenced. That project reportedly cost some $15 million at the time.

Because of the narrow roads serving the casino site from U.S. 101, access always has been a concern. Indeed, a major component of the refinancing would provide funding to construct an emergency access road.

Prior to the casino's construction, the Alexander Valley Association (an organization consisting of the landowners within the valley) even brokered agreements with local and federal officials and politicians that would have facilitated a rare off-reservation casino development. Proposed sites for the casino were located adjacent to U.S. 101 and featured easy access to the site. Comprehensive utility services were in place for each of the prospective sites, not the least of which were those for water and sewer. For reasons never made clear, the tribe and its developers rejected all of these alternative locations in favor of using Rancheria land.

The tried and true axiom for any real estate acquisition is "location, location, location." A prime consideration for many casino developments has been the ability to "capture" highway traffic to augment the local population clientele. While there are no known publicly released studies identifying the capture rate for River Rock, geographical location may raise some concerns.

The casino is constructed, so relocating to improve the capture rate may not be a viable option. With the challenges in today's finance markets, the consequences of past decisions can be, and often are, amplified. The confluence of today's "new [ab]normal" finance markets and past decisions may well spin the tale of River Rock when its story is finally written.

New Bay Mills Chairman Plans to Wrestle Charlotte Beach Land Claims from Soo Tribe; Evict Current Residents

A Letter To Bay Mills Tribal Members

2.12.2011

As posted on Facebook at Kurt Perron For Tribal Chairman

* I will resolve our Charlotte Beach Land Claim which has been handed over to the Soo Tribe to use to obtain casinoes with. I will file a lawsuit against the Soo Tribe in federal court to have them kicked off our Charlotte Beach land claim using the Supreme Courts recent Carcieri decison as precedent. Once Soo Tribe is kicked off our claim, I will then issue an eviction notice to the current residents of Charlotte Beach. We can then use our claim ourselves to obtain several more casinoes in key areas, including Vanderbilt, without spending our Elders Fund in the process. We should have never given our Charlotte Beach Claim to the Soo Tribe to use for a casino in Romulus and now Lansing, this was our land and it was taken from us, not the Soo Tribe. If a casino ever opens in these areas it will be owned by Bay Mills, not Soo Tribe.

See also:

• President/Chairman Parker, Longtime Crony of Detroit Gambling Promoter Michael Malik, Tossed Out by Bay Mills Indian Community Voters
• Same 20-Year-Old Story, Bay Mills Chairman Teasing Business Leaders with Hopeless Casino Plans
• Scandal Continues to Plague Political and Lobbying Activities of Detroiters Bankrolling Casino Plans
• Michael Malik: The Latest Life & Times of a Detroit Casino Syndicator
• Four Charlotte Beach parcels purchased by Michael Malik or his associates since 2002
• Charlotte Beach real estate transactions involving Michael Malik haven't been impacted by any so-called "cloud" over title
• Michael Malik at epicenter; manufacturing behind the scenes drama in Michigan’s remote Charlotte Beach subdivision.
• Why would attorney for Tribe's Port Huron casino developer be acquiring property up north in Charlotte Beach?
• Is the Bay Mills Tribe using Charlotte Beach land claims solely to leverage developer's off-reservation casino plans?
• UPDATE: Posts set context and detail schemes, conflict$ behind Detroiters' off-reservation casino proposal
• Tribe to borrow $4 million to fund federal grant requirement, other investments in Malik’s Plastics venture