Casino ballot proposal struck down again

The Board of State Canvassers struck down three ballot proposals Monday, including one that would allow construction of eight new Michigan casinos.

The board, made up of two Republicans (one of whom was absent Monday) and two Democrats, voted 2-to-1 to allow the proposal to appear on the November ballot, but that was not enough for the proposal’s supporters. In order for a 2-1 vote to pass, one member of each party must vote yes. Because only the Democratic members voted in favor of approving the proposal, it was not approved.

The Michigan Court of Appeals blocked the proposal two weeks ago, saying it violated sections of the Gaming Act without specifically laying out which parts of the law it would change or nullify. Citizens for More Michigan Jobs, the group supporting the proposal, appealed to the state Supreme Court, which overruled the appeals court and ruled it could be allowed on the ballot if approved by the Board of Canvassers.

The proposal would allow construction of casinos in Detroit, Grand Rapids, Romulus, Pontiac, DeWitt, Birch Run, Clinton Township and Clam Lake Township.

Jonathan Raven, an attorney representing Citizens for More Michigan Jobs, said the Supreme Court ruling should be enough for the proposal to make the ballot.

“The Supreme Court issued a very clear ruling rejecting the arguments of the adversaries of this proposal,” Raven said Monday during his presentation in front of the canvassers.

Citizens for More Michigan Jobs says construction of new casinos will create new jobs in communities across the state, bolstering a stagnant state economy.

Protect MI Vote represents the three Detroit casinos and three tribal casinos, including Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort in Mount Pleasant, and has opposed the proposal from the start.

Speaking to Central Michigan Life after the Court of Appeals rejected the proposal, Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe spokesman Frank Cloutier said the proposal would do more harm than good.

“If the proposal was on the ballot and approved, it would have been devastating to our operation and the state’s economy,” Cloutier said. “There are no new jobs to be gained from this at all.”

Cloutier said eight new casinos would create unfair competition.

“In this case, someone is going to have to suffer for another community’s gain,” Cloutier said. “That’s not healthy competition.”

The Board of Canvassers also blocked two other proposals from making the ballot. One proposal, designed to block construction of a new Detroit-Windsor bridge, would force a vote on any new international bridge construction. The other one would require a two-thirds majority in both houses of the Legislature to raise taxes.