Billionaire’s sway keeps new crossing a bridge to nowhere

DETROIT — Americans are justifiably outraged whenever an elected official is caught taking bribes or misusing public funds. Think of former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, for example.

But what do you suppose voters’ reaction would be if it were discovered that a very rich family was trying to buy off a state legislature solely for its own financial gain?

What if that family spent millions of dollars on what amounted to legalized bribes to block a project that virtually every corporation agreed was essential to the state’s economic future?

This project would create thousands of jobs, would lure billions of dollars in federal highway grants, and wouldn’t cost taxpayers a cent. But lawmakers killed the project because the rich family showered them with money.

Wouldn‘t you expect massive outrage?

That‘s what‘s going on in Michigan. The proof arrived this week, when the latest round of campaign finance reports became public.

Sadly, there seems to be little reaction, in part because the rich family also has spent millions on blatantly false TV and radio commercials and direct mailings to mislead the public.

We are talking about the family of Manuel “Matty” Moroun, the 84-year-old billionaire who owns the aging Ambassador Bridge that spans the Detroit River and the U.S.-Canadian border between Detroit and Windsor, Ont.

Gov. Rick Snyder has made it a top priority to build a second bridge, known as the New International Trade Crossing, a couple of miles south. Every living former Michigan governor supports a new bridge.

So do most other politicians, the chief executive officers of Ford, Chrysler, and General Motors, and virtually every chamber of commerce in the state. Republicans in the Ohio Senate voted unanimously to support a new bridge.

The government of Canada wants this bridge so much, it has agreed to pick up Michigan’s share of the costs, which the state could repay years from now out of its share of tolls.

Washington clearly favors the new bridge. Astonishingly, the Obama Administration has said that Michigan could count the $550 million that Canada is willing to pay for Michigan’s share as matching federal highway funds. That would result in $2.2 billion to fix Michigan roads, with no strings attached.

But Governor Snyder hasn’t been able to get even a vote on his bridge in the Michigan Legislature. Here’s why: The Moroun family has contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars, possibly millions, to state lawmakers who have done his bidding and blocked the bill.

This became apparent this week, in even incomplete campaign finance records. They show, for example, that Mr. Moroun, his wife, Nora, and his son and daughter-in-law gave at least $242,000 to various state-related political funds.

Not all of this was in the form of direct contributions to legislators. Republican State Sen. Mike Kowall was instrumental in preventing a bill that backed the bridge proposal from reaching the Senate floor. The Morouns gave to his campaign fund, but also channeled money to Mr. Kowall in other ways, according to Rich Robinson, who runs the nonpartisan, nonprofit Michigan Campaign Finance Network.

“The North Oakland PAC [Political Action Committee] was being used as a vehicle to get goods and services to the Kowalls,” said Mr. Robinson, who spends a lot of time analyzing campaign finance reports. Mr. Kowall’s wife, Eileen, is a state representative who also opposes the bridge.

You might think the Michigan Republican Party would have joined its governor and the state’s business interests in backing the bridge. But it hasn’t. This week, we may have learned why: The Morouns gave $100,000 to the Michigan GOP last year.

The Morouns also gave $20,000 to help real estate developer Bobby Schostak’s successful drive to become state party chairman.

The total amount of money the Morouns gave to politicians is fairly amazing, given that last year wasn’t an election year. In addition to the money spent at the state level, the family gave more than $368,000 to federal campaign committees in 2011.

Nor is that figure complete. Some state lawmakers have yet to file their annual reports. The Morouns, whose wealth is conservatively valued at $1.5 billion by Forbes, are also known to be big givers to PACs. But donations to PACs late last year aren’t required to be reported until April.

The Morouns are reliably reported to be donating to campaigns now. But as Michigan law stands, we won’t know to whom and how much for months.

Mr. Robinson thinks this is outrageous. The Legislature could enact laws making campaign finance reporting more timely and far more transparent. But lawmakers seem to have little interest in that.

So a billionaire with a monopoly on America’s most economically important trade crossing is trying to buy our government to further his family’s own financial interest.

The Morouns have done more than try. “I’d have to say, so far, they have succeeded,” Mr. Robinson said.

Independent observers agree that stopping the new bridge has cost the state jobs and billions of dollars. Canadian Consul General Roy Norton says the inaction puts this region’s economic future in jeopardy.

Governor Snyder still vows to get the bridge built. Whether he can overcome the Morouns remains to be seen.

Jack Lessenberry, a member of the journalism faculty at Wayne State University in Detroit and The Blade’s ombudsman, writes on issues and people in Michigan.

Contact him at: omblade@aol.com