"The Chippewa of Bay Mills, an Upper Peninsula tribe, has been trying since 1993 to open a casino in Port Huron.

In August 2002, Gov. John Engler gave the tribe his blessing. In November 2007, Gov. Jennifer Granholm said grace over it, too. Congress, of course, failed to answer those prayers.

This time around, Bay Mills isn't asking anyone's permission. Its lawyers insist they have found a legal loophole opening the way for a casino on property bought with money provided by Congress for tribal land acquisitions.

Jeff Parker, the leader of Bay Mills, scoffs at the editorial page of the Detroit Free Press and others who fear such a precedent would let tribes open casinos anywhere they choose.

"That's not the case," he said. "There are very few tribes that have been authorized by Congress to make land acquisitions in this manner."

On Nov. 3 -- the day after the elections -- Bay Mills bought 16.5 acres at Desmond Landing, including the vacated Port Huron post office. On the same day, the tribe opened a mini-casino with 38 slot machines at Vanderbilt, a village on Interstate 75 north of Gaylord.

Parker freely admits Vanderbilt is a test run for Port Huron. If the test survives legal challenges, including a close-or-else ultimatum from Cox, then Bay Mills will forge ahead in Port Huron."

Get the Story:
Mike Connell: Mike Cox kicking the town when it's down (The Port Huron Times Herald 12/19)

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