Lobbyist who was praised by Bay Mills works against tribe's casino

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

On November 3, the Bay Mills Indian Community opened an off-reservation casino in Vanderbilt, Michigan, and praised Larry Rosenthal of the Ietan Consulting lobbying firm.

“This is something we’ve been working on for a long time,” Chairman Jeff Parker said in a statement at the time. “None of this would have been possible without the efforts of people such as Larry Rosenthal and Ietan Consulting.”

But Rosenthal doesn't appear to agree with the sentiment. He's working for five other other Michigan tribes that oppose the Bay Mills casino.

Rosenthal helped write the land claim settlement law that the Bay Mills Indian Community is citing to defend the Vanderbilt facility. He believes the tribe's true intention is an off-reservation casino in Port Huron.

"That's exactly what it is," Rosenthal told The Port Huron Times Herald. "I'm confident they are trying to test this legal theory in Vanderbilt and they'll try to go to Port Huron."

In the history of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, only two tribes -- the Seneca Nation and the Wyandotte Nation -- have opened casinos pursuant to a land claim settlement. Currently, the Tohono O'odham Nation is pursuing a casino under a land claim settlement.

Get the Story:
Casino a 'test' for one in Port Huron (The Port Huron Times Herald 11/9)

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