Who Wins And Who Loses Following Gov. Whitmer’s Rejection Of Proposed Little River Casino?

Can you please rewrite your request?

On Wednesday, the arduous 14-year journey of the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians in their pursuit for a second casino reached a significant milestone.

The proposal, which garnered the attention of many interested parties, was officially declined by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

For over ten years, Little River has been engaged in a legal pursuit, with additional legal battles preceding it for an even lengthier period.

As Wednesday brought some clarity to the situation, it raised the questions of who emerged as winners and who ended up as losers.

Losers – Little River Band of Ottawa Indians

This particular task is quite simple.

Since 2008, the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians has been striving to establish an off-reservation casino in Fruitport Township.

The details were meticulously arranged, outlining a project worth $180 million. The endeavor entailed constructing a casino spanning 65,000 square feet and a hotel featuring 220 rooms.

In the Muskegon area, the project aims to generate a total of 3,000 employment opportunities, out of which 1,500 positions will be permanent.

Everyone connected to the project was greatly impacted by the setback.

Currently, the tribe persists in the pursuit of patience. Whitmer’s rejection letter conveyed her openness to reassess the matter once the Department of Interior reaches a verdict regarding the Grand River Bands of Ottawa Indians.

Winners – Grand River Bands of Ottawa Indians

The decision has now provided an opportunity for the Grand River Bands to assert their ownership of the lands if they are granted federal recognition as a tribe.

Grand River Bands has been actively working towards this objective since 1994, and the federal government has until October 12 to formally acknowledge the group. If that recognition is granted, Whitmer believes that Grand River Bands would have the authority over the lands surrounding the planned casino.

Months later, she was reluctant to allow Little River to construct a casino on lands that might actually belong to another tribe.

If Grand River is granted recognition, it would have the opportunity to explore the possibility of constructing a casino on its tribal grounds.

Winners – Tribes that opposed Little River

Despite the widespread support for its project, Little River also faced significant opposition.

The tribes that exhibited the strongest resistance were the three tribes.

• The Gun Lake Casino is operated by the Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi Indians.
• FireKeepers Casino, also known as the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi.
• The Soaring Eagle is the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe.

The close proximity of the new proposed casino to their respective establishments made all three individuals anticipate its impact on their operations. Each of their casinos is approximately a two-hour drive away from Fruitport Township.

The new casino proposal faced opposition from the three Detroit casinos, as they expressed their disapproval.

Losers – Gov. Gretchen Whitmer

It is unlikely that Whitmer could have emerged victorious in this particular circumstance.

It is true that she found herself in a challenging situation due to the impending federal decision regarding the Grand River Bands.

However, it is a fact that this suggested casino garnered support from both sides of the political spectrum across multiple presidential administrations as well as within the local government.

If Whitmer had approved the project, she would have faced significant backlash from other tribes opposing the project, as well as representatives from Detroit and Wayne County.

She definitely faced significant backlash from the Muskegon community for rejecting it, as they strongly supported the casino.

Winners – Gov. Whitmer’s GOP opponents

Being in an election year adds to the challenges faced by Whitmer, making the situation less favorable for her. Moreover, her opponents now have additional leverage to use against her.

The upcoming Aug. 2 primary presents an opportunity for the five Republican candidates to benefit from this decision.

There are five individuals:

• The name Tudor Dixon remains unchanged.
• Ryan Kelly is an individual.
• Ralph Rebandt is being rewritten.
• The name Kevin Rinke in a rewritten form would be Rinke, Kevin.
• Garrett Soldano is the subject of this sentence.

Former Detroit police chief James Craig and businessman Perry Johnson were initially considered potential front-runners in the race. However, they were disqualified from the ballot due to forged signatures on their nominating petitions. Despite this setback, Craig is now advocating to be a write-in candidate.

Dixon, a resident of the Muskegon area, has received recognition from both the DeVos family and former president Donald Trump.

Despite being a top contender, Kelly recently gained national attention after being charged with four misdemeanors related to the Jan. 6 attack on Capitol Hill.

Several Republican state senators have already criticized Whitmer’s decision as “shameful.” It is expected to be a significant issue in the upcoming months for the primary race winner.

Can you please rewrite the following sentence?