Columnist Jeff German: Longtime opposites beginning to attract

YOUR EARS haven't been deceiving you, friends. Steve Wynn and Sheldon Adelson have been talking like they're best buddies lately.

In an industry that has created some of the most colorful figures in the business world, these two gaming giants couldn't be farther apart in style.

There's Wynn, the good-looking, innovative casino boss who has charmed his way to Wall Street and taken Las Vegas to greater heights with the Mirage and now the Bellagio. He has done it by working closely with the Culinary Union, which represents thousands of casino workers along the Strip.

Then there's Adelson, a gruff, successful businessman from Boston who has helped turn Las Vegas into the convention capital of the world and now aspires to take the Strip to the top of the mountain. He's currently building the $1.2 billion Venetian, which will compete directly with the Bellagio. He hopes to open his new super-resort in April without the help of the Culinary Union.

Both men have created private political organizations that have given them much clout on the local and national scene. Wynn has stepped up his political influence in a low-key way, working behind the scenes. Adelson has gone public, spending as much as $2 million last year on ugly television ads in an unsuccessful attempt to defeat three County Commission candidates.

A year ago, you couldn't get Wynn and Adelson in the same room, much less get them to talk about the positive attributes of each other. Wynn touted the Bellagio as the Strip's savior. Adelson pushed the Venetian.

But within the last six months, something has changed. The two men have reached a detente. They've realized they have the same common goal. Last week, Adelson even suggested a business alliance was possible.

The change in their relationship seems to have begun last June, several months before the Bellagio opened. In an interview with me, Wynn sang high praise for Adelson. He said Adelson shares his vision of making Las Vegas a true world-class destination.

"He loves to be fighting against all odds to prove himself," Wynn said. It's not an uncommon trait among great leaders. He says his hotel will take Las Vegas to a new level.

"We must always thank God for that kind of personality ... because every time Las Vegas has ever been taken to a new level, there has been a man like that who did it."

Adelson was said to have been moved and appreciative of Wynn's words.

The two men found more common ground, when they discovered they shared the same desire not to see Shelley Berkley get elected to Congress. Both have had bitter falling-outs with her. But much to their dismay, Berkley was elected despite their opposition.

When Adelson went after County Commissioners Myrna Williams and Erin Kenny and commission candidate Dario Herrera in November, many expected Wynn to speak out against Adelson's blatant expression of power. But Wynn was conspicuously silent.

Last Tuesday, when addressing the brightest gaming executives in the country, Wynn included the Venetian in his vision for Las Vegas. Two days later, a kinder, gentler Adelson praised Wynn at a local luncheon. Adelson then startled everyone by indicating he wanted to team up with Wynn to promote high-end business in Las Vegas.

Wynn was said to be receptive to the idea. But whether the egos of the two men will allow them to be business partners remains to be seen. Wynn, you'll recall, has had a long-standing personality clash with Atlantic City casino mogul Donald Trump. Still, the thought of Wynn and Adelson getting together is intriguing.

The biggest obstacle remaining between them will be the Culinary Union.

Adelson remains determined to open the Venetian in April without a union contract, and the union is bent on spoiling his big day with a huge public demonstration. The mass picketing will attract international publicity that will portray the Strip as a hotbed of labor strife rather than a mecca for the best hotels in the world. It won't be pretty.

The worst part of it is that if both sides can't reach a compromise before April, the vision Wynn and Adelson share for Las Vegas will remain elusive.

Can these new best buddies find a way to keep the dream alive?

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