Column: Detroit's gaming interests oppose gaming

Friday, March 7, 2008  

"To say "Port Huron kicked the big dogs" pretty much depicts the city's recent performance in Washington, D.C.'s halls of power. Port Huron's $500 million Thomas Edison Casino Project, House Bill 2176, was overwhelmingly approved in the U.S. House of Representatives' Natural Resources Subcommittee and sent to the House floor last month.

While several spoke on the casino's behalf, U.S. Rep. Candice Miller and Port Huron City Manager Karl Tomion delivered particularly strong performances.

Miller pulled no punches. She hammered the Detroit crowd with lines such as: "Much of the opposition is based purely on greed. Now that the city of Detroit has (three casinos), they (city leaders) don't want anyone else to have one." Tomion was especially eloquent when he ended his presentation by saying the foreign competition taking our jobs isn't located only in China. "Our foreign competition is just 500 feet across the St. Clair River.""

Get the Story:
Cliff Schrader: If casino is bad for Port Huron, why is Detroit trying to kill it? (The Port Huron Times Herald 3/7)