Public vote sought on Detroit gambling plan

Monday, Feb. 12, 2001 | 11:27 a.m.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

DETROIT -- A state lawmaker says he has support in the state House for a bill that would put Detroit's riverfront casino plan to a public vote.

State Rep. Hansen Clarke, D-Detroit, said that nearly 40 state lawmakers have pledged to support the bill that he will introduce in Lansing this week.

If approved, the measure would force a referendum by Detroiters in September.

"My bill will give the power to decide whether we have riverfront casinos back in the hands of the people of Detroit and out of the hands of the mayor," Clarke said.

Three temporary casinos have opened near downtown Detroit in the last two years.

Mayor Dennis Archer said the city needs the larger, Las Vegas-style, permanent casinos to increase tax revenues for the city.

But Archer has recently raised the possibility that other sites may be considered if property negotiations continue to stall, The Detroit News reported.

Clarke's proposed referendum faces major obstacles. It needs approval by two-thirds of the 110-member state House and 38-member Senate because it would override local authority. The bill also needs the signature of Gov. John Engler.

John Truscott, a spokesman for Engler, said the governor views the placement of casinos as a decision for Archer.