Interior Department has OK’d the plan
Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate Mary Burke says the incumbent is twiddling his thumbs when it comes to an important issue in the state: a proposed tribal casino in Kenosha.
According to NPR station WXPR, the federal government says it’s up to Governor Scott Walker to decide whether the Menominee Indians can build a casino complex on a former dog racing track. The federal Department of Interior approved the proposal last August and gave Walker a year to make his decision. But Walker says he needs more time to think about it, and wants to wait until after the November election.
Burke says that’s “ridiculous.”
“A lot of people are dependent on this decision, and to say you need more than a year, I just wonder what exactly he is doing that takes so long,” she said. “It looks to me like politics as usual. That is what is unfortunate about the leadership we have under Governor Walker.”
Burke said she would have “immediately undertaken an independent study to see what the economic impact on the state as a whole would be.” If the numbers were right and enough jobs would be created, she would approve the plan. “We are competing with other states like Iowa and Illinois,” Burke said.
The Forest County Potawatomi Community and the Ho-Chunk tribe have opposed the new casino. Both tribes have large casino facilities in southern Wisconsin.
According to news station WTAQ, supporters of the tribal casino say it would create well over 3,000 jobs.
