Gov. Rick Snyder and Attorney General Bill Schuette are continuing the tug of war with Lansing officials over a controversial casino proposal in the city’s downtown, further pitting city and state politicians against each other as the project’s likelihood appears dim.
In a joint letter sent to Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero and the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians last week, Snyder and Schuette cautioned the city to back down its plans to construct a casino near the Lansing Center in downtown Lansing, vowing they would use any means possible to halt the casino.
“The state will take whatever steps necessary to prevent the opening of the proposed casino, and if the city persists in its efforts, it does so at its own risk,” the letter said.
The governor and attorney general argued the proposal violates a variety of state laws and tribal compacts.
“The State of Michigan believes the proposed casino would be inconsistent with state and federal law and the tribe’s gaming compact with the state,” they wrote, claiming the casino also would violate other tribal gaming compacts.
Despite the opposition, Bernero said the city would continue to push forward with the project.
“We respectfully disagree with the governor and the attorney general and will continue to pursue our plan to bring millions of dollars in new investment and thousands of new jobs to Lansing,” Bernero said in a statement Monday.
Bernero, who announced the casino project last month through a partnership with the tribe, has pitched the casino as an economic development project for the city, assuring the business would create thousands of jobs and help boost the economy of the downtown area.
The city also is aiming to create a Lansing Promise scholarship from some of the casino’s revenues — similar to the Kalamazoo Promise scholarship — which would provide free college to graduates of the Lansing School District who attend an in-state public college or university.
The proposal must be passed by the state legislature, Snyder and the U.S. Department of the Interior to be implemented.
Bernero himself also came under fire from several opposing Indian tribes two weeks ago, when he was accused of racism for coming on stage at a breakfast fundraiser with a bull’s eye pasted on his back, proceeding to tell the Indian groups he was “under fire from bows and arrows.”
Despite Snyder and Scheutte’s efforts, the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe also said they plan to stay the course.
“We are aware of their opinion, we respect it, and we disagree,” Michelle Bouschor, a tribal spokeswoman, said in an email Monday. “We intend to continue to vigorously pursue what we believe is our legal right.”
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