FeedsCongressional vote defeats Romulus casino plan
When the votes were counted last Wednesday, city officials in Romulus were stunned.
On June 25, the U.S. House of Representatives defeated a measure that would have paved the way for two Indian casinos to open in Port Huron and either Romulus or Flint on non-reservation land.
Had it been approved, the bill would have settled a land claim for 110 acres of land that two tribes – the Bay Mills Indian Community and the Sault Ste. Marie tribe of Chippewa Indians – say would have made amends for a piece of land in the Upper Peninsula that was taken by the state of Michigan illegally.
The defeat of the bill – the final vote was 298-121 – came as a surprise to city officials hoping to bring further development and jobs to Romulus, who were optimistic the vote would be a close victory.
“To say I was surprised is an understatement,” said Mayor Alan Lambert, the driving force behind the 2003 approval of a city proposal that allowed gaming in the city.
“We were told by Congressman (John) Dingell’s office that the vote would be close,” he said. “That it ended up such a big disparity was also a surprise to us.”
What went wrong
What is a loss to Romulus and Port Huron was a big win for Detroit. Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick and Congressman John Conyers were bitterly opposed to the bill because a casino in Romulus could siphon business from the three Detroit gaming houses.
The city depends on a dedicated revenue stream from the casinos.
Lambert said the forces lining up against the proposal were given an inordinate amount of time to shore up opposition.
“The Speaker of the House (Nancy Pelosi) kept giving more and more time . . . . I think that gave the other side a chance to build opposition,” he said.
Lambert said that after the vote occurred, Dingell called to apologize.
“He said he thought we had the support,” he said.
In a statement, Dingell blasted those who voted against the bill.
“At a time when our country is trying to create opportunities for those who want to work, the House rejected a bill that would have provided 7,000 Michigan residents with good-paying jobs,” he said. “In a dark corner of a Maryland prison, Jack Abramoff is smiling right now.”
Aaron Payment, the chairman of the Chippewa Indians, also said he’s disappointed with the vote.
“We will continue to fight to resolve this illegal land-taking and bring thousands of much-needed jobs to our state,” he said.
Payment also thanked elected officials who worked to shore up support for the bill.
Jobs needed
Michigan has lost more than 200,000 manufacturing jobs since the local economy went into a one-state recession about six years ago.
Many of those jobs were located in western Wayne County, Lambert said.
“We lost quite a few jobs here, but this was an opportunity to get people back to work that live in the region – and that includes Detroit,” he said.
Estimates indicate a casino would bring about 3,000 jobs related to the casino development itself and several thousand more in offshoot jobs as the need for goods and services increased. The development also would have provided a dedicated revenue stream for the city to the tune of $4 to $10 million annually.
A development would have also included a 200-room hotel, according to plans proposed by the tribe.
Though the jobs would have been located in Romulus, neighboring communities were also hoping the bill would be approved.
“I do know Romulus was looking forward to the economic development having a casino in their city could generate,” said Van Buren Township Cindy King. “I do know Romulus has worked hard these past several years in the area of economic development and that the location of the proposed casino was a good one from their land use perspective.
“It is unfortunate Romulus may not realize the development, jobs, commercial or other types of business that support or relate to the casino during this difficult economy,” she said.
Lambert said the most important aspect of the bill was the jobs.
“I do think our rights – and the rights of the people in Port Huron – were violated,” he said. “The bottom line is that we need the jobs.”
