House Foils Trump: Johnston Casino Idea Stopped in Committee

House Finance Committee Chairman Steven Costantino didn't say "you're fired" to Trump Entertainment Resorts officials Wednesday, but the effect was pretty much the same. On a 9-1 vote, the panel decided to "hold for further study" legislation by Johnston Rep. Stephen Ucci that would have required competitive bidding for a casino license.

That would have pit Trump's bid to build a casino in Johnston against the longstanding proposal by rival gambling giant Harrah's and their partners, the Narragansett Indian tribe, in West Warwick. Costantino said after the vote that the measure would not be taken up again this year, meaning it will die in committee. During his testimony, Perry told the committee, "The vote of the House of Representatives and the Senate Committee indicates that the assembly has a deal, that the competitive selection process that it proposed and approved in 2003 is not appropriate today.

We came to Rhode Island under the impression that the state wanted a competitive selection process, but we have come to believe that the landscape may have changed. "

June 2, 2006
Posted By Skip Davis
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