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November 10, 2009

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Petition drive to block riverfront casinos falls short

Wednesday, June 21, 2000 | 8:10 a.m.

The Riverfront East Alliance fell short of collecting nearly 5,000 signatures it needed by Tuesday to make the November election, The Detroit News said.

The proposal would have enacted an ordinance prohibiting casinos from the area near the Detroit River, east of the Renaissance Center.

"We were close, but not close enough," said group Vice President Bob Jackman. He said the group fell about 940 signatures short.

"Some groups pay $1 per signature for petition drives, but this was all done by dedicated volunteers," Jackman told the Detroit Free Press.

"It shows there's a lack of support for this effort," said Tom Shields, spokesman for the MotorCity Casino.

Mayor Dennis Archer's plan to build three casinos on a 57-acre site has run into opposition and legal problems.

The MGM Grand and MotorCity casinos now operate at temporary sites, while the Greektown Casino awaits state approval to open.

Also Tuesday, the MotorCity Casino's top local manager said he is leaving to open an Indian casino in southern California. General Manager Craig Ghelfi will starts work about July 1 for the Pala Indian tribe at its casino north of San Diego.

His replacement is Rhonda Cohen, who now works with high-stakes gamblers at MotorCity Casino.

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