Stockbridge-Munsee President Shannon Holsey recently delivered the 13th annual State of the Tribes address at the Wisconsin capitol—but she did not mention her tribe’s threat to withhold $923,000 in gambling payments, due June 30. The tribe wants Governor Scott Walker to block the Ho-Chunk Nation’s plans to expand its Wittenberg casino. Stockbridge-Munsee officials contend that casino violates Ho-Chunk’s state gaming compact and will steal players from its own casino, 17 miles away.
Department of Administration spokesman Steven Michels previously said the expansion does not violate Ho-Chunk’s compact with the state. However, Stockbridge-Munsee spokeswoman Megan Hakes said she recently learned that tribal leaders and Walker’s administration have discussed the issue since the tribe notified Walker on March 6 that it planned to withhold the gambling compact payment, although no resolution has been reached. The tribe can file a lawsuit against the state if the two sides haven’t reached a resolution within 30 days after notification.
In her speech, Holsey said the state will be stronger if tribal leaders and state leaders are “united as allies. Unity does not have to mean uniformity. It is about understanding each other and moving beyond simple tolerance to embracing and celebrating the rich dimensions of diversity contained within everyone. ‘We the people’ means everyone.”
Holsey was selected to present the speech by the Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Council, representing Wisconsin’s 11 federally recognized tribes.
