By State Representative, Leon D. Young
Leon D. Young
Scott walker is once again fudging on an executive decision that could have a significant impact on the state’s fragile economy.
For weeks, Walker has been mulling over his opts as to whether to approve a Menominee casino in Kenosha.
The governor has repeatedly said he would approve an off-reservation casino in Kenosha only if each of the state’s other 10 tribes also agreed to the project. (Walker has unilateral veto power over the offreservation casino, which the federal government signed-off on in August.)
If we take Scott Walker at his initial word, which is always a risky undertaking, the likelihood of getting all the tribes to agree to the Kenosha casino seems rather unlikely.
Both the Potawatomi and Ho-Chunk tribes would be adversely impacted by this new casino coming on-line.
It’s estimated that the Potawatomi tribe stands to lose 40 percent of its revenue it collects at its own off-reservation casino in Milwaukee.
Meanwhile, the Ho- Chunk feels it could take a $20 million annual hit at its Madison and Wisconsin Dells casinos.
Last Friday, for the second week in a row, Walker backed away from his self-imposed deadline to approve or veto the Menominee tribe’s application, and appears to be singing a different tune.
He now insists that the casino decision could take several months, and suggested a willingness to hire a consultant in order to verify the various claims about the number of jobs that could be created by an off-reservation casino in Kenosha.
The Menominee tribe asserts that its proposed $800 million casino complex would create about 5,000 direct and indirect jobs.
However, this estimate is offset by the projection from the Potawatomi, which owns the state’s largest casino, in Milwaukee, that alleges the new competitor would cost the Milwaukee area about 3,000 jobs.
The subject of new job creation is an issue that the governor should feel quite vulnerable on.
We all remember the governor’s campaign pledge that Wisconsin’s private-sector economy would add 250,000 jobs in his four years.
But, in reality, the state has only added roughly 90,000 private jobs through August 2013.
This brings us to a few quintessential questions: What will Walker do if it’s determined that this Kenosha casino project stands to net a substantial number of new jobs?
What about his pledge that his decision to approve the project was contingent on complete agreement by the Wisconsin tribes?
And finally, how will Walker roll the dice in the end?