Artist's rendering of the proposed Menominee Nation off-reservation casino. Image from Casino Kenosha
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) wants more time to review the Menominee Nation off-reservation casino, a delay that helps raise funds for the Republican Party:
Gov. Scott Walker seems to be making the decision about a Kenosha casino as complicated as possible. He has hired two consulting firms to help assess the facts, and last week he asked the Bureau of Indian Affairs for an extension of the deadline to make a decision. If the BIA grants the extension, Walker will have until Feb. 19, 2015, if he’s still in office, to decide if the Menominee and Hard Rock International can develop a casino at Dairyland Greyhound Park. The delay is puzzling to those who think the governor should be concerned about failing to deliver on his promise to create 250,000 jobs in Wisconsin in four years. Even if the casino were approved today, however, the 3,300 casino jobs plus the construction jobs wouldn’t bring Walker much closer to fulfilling that promise. He does, however, have a very good incentive to delay the decision: It’s good for fundraising. Mike McCabe, executive director of the watchdog group Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, said, “Tribes on both sides of the casino dispute are indeed giving substantial sums of money to help with Gov. Walker’s re-election bid, but they are not contributing directly to Walker. They are giving their money to the national Republican Governors Association.”Get the Story:
Steve Lund: Stalling casino decision has fundraising benefits (The Kenosha News 3/6) Another Opinion:
Chris Rickert: Years needed for casino decision that should be a quick no (Wisconsin State Journal 3/6) Bureau of Indian Affairs Documents:
Press Release | Fact Sheet: Menominee Nation Decision | Section 20 Determination: Menominee Nation Off-Reservation Casino
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