I am writing today to announce the closure of the Michigan Messenger. After four years of operation in Michigan, the board of the American Independent News Network, has decided to shift publication of its news into a single site, The American Independent at Americanindependent.com. This is part of a shift in strategy, towards new forms [...]
An abstinence-only presentation provided to numerous school districts in Calhoun and Eaton Counties in October of this year provided false and misleading information to students about HIV, experts allege.
Two county registers of deeds filed a class action lawsuit Monday on behalf of Michigan’s 83 counties alleging that the Mortgage Electronic Registration Services owes millions of dollars in property title transfer taxes.
Despite evidence of the impact of mercury on children and public health, Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette last month joined with 24 other state attorneys general in filing a lawsuit to scuttle new EPA regulations that would reduce mercury emissions from power plants.
Peter Secchia linked to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff, boasts of influence in Washington
John McCain will be in Grand Rapids today for a fundraiser at the home of multimillionaire lumber tycoon Peter Secchia, a longtime civic booster and Republican fundraiser once notorious for his penchant for sexist remarks and more recently known for his activism on casino gambling.
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Not mentioned are the headlines that delayed his nomination to the diplomatic post in 1989.
When Detroit Free Press reporter Anne Marie Bitondo asked Secchia about his reputation for sexist comments, he replied:
“Look, I’m gonna tell you something, hon. You’ve crossed and uncrossed your legs twice, and one time you showed me something I shouldn’t see. Now am I going to go and complain that you’re loosey-goosey or you got no class?”
Continued -Sen. Clairborne Pell (D-R.I.), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, called Secchia “an embarrassment” to the United States because of his habit of making vulgar comments. Secchia’s nomination was eventually approved, and he served until 1993.
Since retiring as chairman of Universal Forest Products in 2002, Secchia has become known for his activism on gambling.
He boasts that McCain consulted with him on casino issues while the Arizona senator headed the Senate Indian Affairs Committee. In this YouTube video he talks about McCain calling him from the floor of the Senate during a vote related to the proposed Gun Lake Indian casino planned for south of Grand Rapids.
Secchia is the vice president of 23 Is Enough, a PAC opposed to the Gun Lake casino, which he says will hurt Grand Rapids businesses. He has proposed an alternate casino for the city of Grand Rapids.
Jack Abramoff, the Washington lobbyist since convicted on multiple corruption charges, also opposed the Gun Lake casino. Abramoff represented another casino-owning Michigan tribe. As plans for the casino advanced in 2005, Secchia and Abramoff separately lobbied the executive branch to stop it.
In December 2002, the Kalamazoo Gazette reported that Secchia spoke about appealing to White House strategist Karl Rove for help with the casino matter. Grand Rapids businessman Peter Secchia decided to make his case in person. At a White House Christmas party for donors Wednesday night, Secchia buttonholed President Bush’s top political adviser, Karl Rove.
“This is the worst bit of news for West Michigan in my 30 years of political activism,” Secchia said. “Believe me, I’m … (livid). I talked to Rove, and he put me in touch with his guy in charge of this kind of operation. I’m going to do my damnedest on this one. This is really important to us.”
At the same time, Abramoff was trying to block the casino by appealing to Deputy Interior Secretary J. Steven Griles, who was ultimately sentenced to jail time for lying about his dealings with Abramoff.
Secchia told the Washington Post in 2005 that he never spoke with Abramoff about the matter.
McCain led a Senate investigation Abramoff’s misdeeds. Not everyone thinks he did a good job. Blog for Arizona concluded: By withholding most of the evidence received in response to his broad subpoena, McCain managed to cover up the larger picture of the political work Abramoff did for his clients, some of which was clearly contrary to the U.S. national interest. This has thwarted the efforts of investigators outside McCain’s committee to independently examine the bulk of the record, which remains hidden
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