A long journey on foot: Members of Menominee Tribe to march to Madison in support of casino proposal
KESHENA/MADISON (WITI) -- On Friday morning, February 13th members of the Menominee Indian Tribe will begin a march to Madison. It's an effort to encourage Governor Scott Walker to reverse course, and approve the tribe's proposed Hard Rock casino in Kenosha. That casino would be built on the old Dairyland Greyhound Track site. Last month, Governor Walker rejected that proposal. This week, the Menominee offered to pay $220 million towards a new Milwaukee Bucks casino in the hopes Governor Walker would change his mind.
A send-off rally is set for Friday morning in Keshena, Wisconsin. Members of the tribe will then march to Madison.
The Menominee Tribe and Hard Rock International leaders are requesting a face-to-face meeting with Governor Walker to consider the total Kenosha project offer, which includes his signed compact amendment and the two additional material proposals. These proposals include the $275 million bond and the $220 million offer to fund the new Milwaukee Bucks area.
Walker is in London this week, but Walker’s administration says Walker will not reverse his decision -- citing the threat the Potawatomi Tribe would take legal action outweighed potential new jobs that the project would create. The Potawatomi Tribe operates a casino in Milwaukee, and would need to be compensated for any losses if a casino were built in Kenosha.
Walker's spokesman issued this statement to FOX6 News following the Menominee Tribe's offer to chip in $220 million for a new Bucks arena:
“It’s important to note that Governor Walker’s “Pay Their Way” plan for the new arena protects current taxpayer dollars. The $220 million would not come from current GPR. Rather it is in the form of an appropriation bond to be paid back by projected growth in income taxes from the Bucks, as well as visiting teams, due to salary increases and new TV contracts. Once the bonds are paid off, tax growth would return to the state.
Governor Doyle’s compacts with the tribes open up the State of Wisconsin to significant litigation risks. Due to those compacts, the long-term economic hit to the state budget would be a potential loss of hundreds of millions of dollars.”
The send-off rally is set to begin at 8:00 a.m. in Keshena.
Following the send-off rally, there will be a short march to support those who are marching to Madison from the Tribal Office Loop Road to the reservation line by the College of Menominee Nation.
The Menominee Tribe says this proposal, if Governor Walker's rejection is reconsidered would help the tribe address the serious unmet needs in areas such as health care, education, housing, justice and infrastructure facing over 9,000 tribal members. In addition, the tribe’s proposal would also be a win for Wisconsin taxpayers by bringing new revenue and creating thousands of jobs in the southeastern Wisconsin area, tribal leaders say.
Governor Walker’s final decision on the Kenosha casino proposal is due on February 19th. Officials with the U.S. Department of Interior’s Bureau of Indian Affairs have said they would give full consideration to a second review and determination from the governor by that deadline.
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