Columnist Jeff German: Departure of Lanni leaves gap

Sunday, Oct. 17, 1999 | 10:20 a.m.

Jeff German is the Sun's senior investigative reporter. His column appears Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. Reach him at german@lasvegassun.com or 259-4067.

TERRY LANNI'S decision to resign as chairman of MGM Grand Inc. leaves a big void in the casino industry.

The 56-year-old Lanni was one of the industry's national leaders, providing much direction to the American Gaming Association in Washington.

"He brought tremendous distinction and dignity to the industry," AGA President Frank Fahrenkopf says.

As a member of the National Gambling Impact Study Commission, Lanni handled himself with much grace, impressing even his adversaries.

Like Michael Jordan, he leaves the MGM at the top of his game. The MGM reported record third-quarter earnings last week.

One of Lanni's biggest accomplishments was establishing cordial relations with the Culinary Union, which now represents MGM workers. It may be no coincidence that the company's profits soared, as Lanni cemented his ties to the state's largest union.

To those on the inside, Lanni's departure from the MGM was no secret. He had been talking about stepping down for more than a year so that he could spend additional time with his wife and teenaged sons in Southern California.

In keeping with his character, Lanni leaves the industry for the right reasons.

As Lanni lightens his workload, Bill Bible, another former member of the Gambling Impact Study Commission, is upping his profile.

Bible is coming out of retirement as the longest serving chairman of the Gaming Control Board to head the Nevada Resort Association, the industry's political arm here.

You may recall that Bible, though regarded as a man of the highest integrity, once was the subject of secret intelligence checks conducted by Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa.

The secret probe now is coming back to haunt Del Papa, who pulled out of the 2000 U.S. Senate race because she was having trouble raising campaign funds from the casino industry.

Imagine how much trouble Del Papa would have raising cash with Bible at the helm of the industry's chief political organization.

Del Papa's snooping into Bible's personal life, it turns out, has hardly hurt his professional career.

He reportedly has signed a two-year deal giving him more than $250,000 a year to recharge the NRA's batteries.

Look for Del Papa, meanwhile, to remain on the hot seat, as more revelations about her covert activities come to light.

It didn't take long for casino industry fears about Donald Trump's presidential plans to become reality.

Last week, you'll recall, it was reported here that there were concerns Trump's candidacy would raise gaming's profile and provide fodder for its adversaries during the 2000 presidential race.

On Oct. 7 the "gaming factor" surfaced during one of Trump's first national television interviews on his possible bid for the nation's highest office.

CNN's Larry King asked the Atlantic City casino mogul: "Do you think being in gaming could hurt you?"

Trump replied no and then proceeded to tell a national television audience how much more business casinos do in Atlantic City than on the Las Vegas Strip.

What are the odds of the Rev. Tom Grey, one of the nation's leading gaming critics, having his VCR turned on during that interview?

This week's appointments to fill two new spots on the City Council are shaping up as a test of strength between Mayor Oscar Goodman and Councilman Michael McDonald.

It's a matter of who's going to be perceived as being in charge at City Hall.

Relations between Goodman and McDonald have soured in recent weeks because of the aborted campaign to deconsolidate the police department.

Though McDonald has taken most of the heat for pushing the campaign, it has left many voters believing he's pulling the city's strings.

That's why you keep hearing Goodman talking about "my City Hall" whenever he's around reporters.

Who gets appointed to the council this week almost has become less important than who gets their appointments.