Columnist Jeff German: Gaming interests stack deck

Tuesday, May 17, 2005 | 11:04 a.m.

When the County Commission created a citizens committee several months ago to draft recommendations for the development of neighborhood casinos, it looked like a great idea.

The hope was to devise standards that would avert the nasty political fighting that occurred between Station Casinos and residents in the area of the massive Red Rock Station project at West Charleston Boulevard and the Las Vegas Beltway. The Culinary Union, which is trying to organize 10,000 Station workers, sided with the residents.

But as it turns out, the political fighting has simply spilled over into the 11-member committee's work, harming its ability to come up with any meaningful recommendations.

"I'm not sure what we're doing," says committee member Carolyn Edwards, a community activist who has no ties to Station Casinos or the Culinary Union. "I think we're just spinning our wheels."

Edwards and other panel members say the committee is stacked in favor of the gaming industry -- primarily Station Casinos, which has another major project on the drawing board, Durango Station, on Durango Drive just south of the beltway.

The committee was originally proposed by County Commissioner Lynette Boggs McDonald, a former Station Casinos board member whose district includes the Durango Station project. Boggs-McDonald, other commissioners and county planning staffers all helped select the committee members.

The panel's chairman is Terry Murphy, a political consultant for Station Casinos. Other members include Matthew Heinhold, a Station lawyer; Cedric Crear, a former Station marketing executive; and Bill Bible, president of the Nevada Resort Association, which is chaired by Station President Lorenzo Fertitta.

Also on the committee are Richard Aron, a lawyer for Boyd Gaming, another neighborhood casino giant, and Randy Miller, the owner of several small neighborhood casinos.

On paper the gaming companies have a built-in majority.

"I don't think we can accomplish anything they don't want us to accomplish," says panel member Danny Thompson, the executive director of the Nevada AFL-CIO.

Thompson says he lost faith in the committee after last Friday's vote on his proposal to talk about the possibility of creating a county neighborhood casino license that would come with specific size and design restrictions.

All Thompson says he wanted was a chance to have a discussion on the idea, but his proposal was shot down by a 5-4 vote along casino and noncasino lines. Two members, one from each side, were absent.

"It may be a bad idea, but you don't know that until you at least study it," Thompson says.

Thompson, however, may not be without his own political agenda.

Murphy sees him as a stalking horse for the Culinary Union, the AFL-CIO's largest and most influential member, which is pulling out all stops to organize Station Casinos.

Thompson's proposal, Murphy says, had potential to take away property entitlements from Station Casinos and other developers at several already-approved neighborhood casino projects.

The committee shouldn't be trying to "screw Station Casinos," she says.

Murphy's interpretation of the proposal, however, isn't shared by Chuck Pulsipher, the county planning manager who is working with the committee. Pulsipher says projects that already have won zoning approval, such as Durango Station, likely would not have been subjected to the tougher licensing requirements.

"It would be pretty hard to force any of these existing projects to give up their entitlements," he says.

The heated debate, meanwhile, illustrates that the committee, despite meeting three times since the beginning of April, still doesn't understand its mission.

It's not supposed to be furthering the financial interests of the gaming industry or the organizing efforts of the Culinary Union.

It's supposed to be protecting the interests of the public -- and not wasting our time.