The Mohegan Tribe: ‘A Great Model’ for Wisconsin project

One of Potawatomi’s big messages in its multimillion-dollar campaign to kill competition and preserve its monopoly is that it’s somehow bad for an out-of-state Tribe to be involved in the Kenosha casino effort. The Potawatomi have spent a lot of money to blast the Mohegan Tribe of Connecticut’s work on a project that will meet the significant unmet needs of one of Wisconsin’s largest and poorest tribes and bring 3,000 jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars to Wisconsin.

Potawatomi’s argument really doesn’t make a lot of sense – most people agree that having out-of-state businesses invest in Wisconsin is a good thing. And the Mohegan Tribe is among the best in the business – just take a look at this letter to the editor from Saturday’s Kenosha News. The writer, a local businessman, experienced Mohegan’s expertise first-hand.

Mohegan Tribe knows the casino business

Kenosha has heard a lot about the Mohegan Tribe over the past four years. The Mohegan, experts in developing and running a successful resort, will partner with Wisconsin’s Menominee Tribe to develop the Kenosha entertainment center and casino and manage its operations for the first seven years.

I’ve met some of the Mohegan leaders on their visits to town and have been impressed by their dedication to the Menominee, their support for Kenosha and their business philosophy. But when I and other local business leaders visited the Mohegan Sun resort in Connecticut, I was blown away.

The Sun, including its $1 billion expansion opening in 2010, is an example of the many positives the Menominee project will bring to Kenosha. The Sun’s 9,000-plus employees earn above-average pay and excellent benefits, just as the Menominee project will create 3,000 top-paying jobs here.

The Mohegan have strong relationships with local municipalities — even providing reciprocal police, fire and paramedics services to neighboring communities. The Menominee have developed solid relationships in Kenosha and will forge even stronger connections as this project develops.

And just as the Menominee have pledged to work with local vendors in Kenosha, a “buy local” commitment is evident at the Mohegan Sun. The resort spends millions with local companies every year, and the expansion site is full of Connecticut contractors and laborers proud to work on the high-profile project.

I also learned more about Mohegan’s commitment to renewable energy and recycling; its partnerships with schools and charities; the list goes on. The Mohegan Tribe is clearly doing something very right and is a great model for the Menominee project.

Dave Gallo

We’ve always thought it a little hypocritical for the Potawatomi to criticize the Mohegan for helping a fellow tribe – especially after the Potawatomi refused repeated requests by the Menominee to work together in Kenosha. The fact is, the Mohegan are a class act.

PS: A quick note about competition. Guess what’s just 7 short miles away from the Mohegan Sun, one of the largest and most successful Indian casino resorts in the United States? The Mashantucket Pequot Tribe’s Foxwoods, also one of the largest and most successful Indian casino resorts in the country. Not only do the Mohegan have a healthy respect for competition, they’re pretty good at it.

Meanwhile, the Potawtomi would rather avoid competition altogether – even if it means lost jobs and economic opportunity for Wisconsin, and continued poverty for a fellow Wisconsin Tribe.

Speak out for healthy competition and business investment in Wisconsin by signing the online petition.

Competition will be worth the wait!

There’s another outstanding letter to the editor in this morning’s Kenosha News – check it out:

The casino will be worth the wait

A recent letter that suggested replacing the proposed casino with a “family resort,” retractable-roof arena and monster truck shows makes some points that must be countered with facts.

Let’s start with a blatant inaccuracy. The writer asserts that the two Kenosha casino referendums passed by only a small percentage. Not true. In 1998, voters endorsed the casino by a 14 percent margin; in 2004, the margin was 12 percent. Those familiar with politics will tell you that a margin of victory of 10 percent or higher is considered a landslide.

The writer also demands to know how much the casino’s nearly 3,000 jobs would pay. The Menominee Tribe has answered that question for years. According to the project Web site, the average entertainment center employee would earn $47,234, including benefits like health care, a 401(k) plan and dental and vision insurance. These are the kind of good-paying jobs with benefits we want in Kenosha.

Finally, the writer takes a shot at “out-of-state” funding for the project. The Mohegan Tribe, which has been part of the effort since its inception, should be applauded for its willingness to help Wisconsin’s Menominee Tribe and its commitment to Kenosha. To criticize Mohegan’s involvement would be like protesting Abbott Labs, Uline, Affiliated Foods and other non-Wisconsin businesses looking to build here. It’s desirable to have out-of-state companies invest in our community’s growth and success.

It’s clear the writer is unhappy with Kenosha. That’s unfortunate, because there are so many good things happening here. The casino will be another good thing — one that’s definitely worth the wait.

Tony Witkauskis
Kenosha

It’s great to see that citizen support for the Menominee project remains so strong – great, but not surprising.

After all, competition will bring thousands of good jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars in other economic benefits to Wisconsin. And, as PricewaterhouseCoopers’ 2005 study showed, the expanded Potawatomi Bingo Casino in Milwaukee would still see a $200 million-plus bump in revenue, even with competition from a new Kenosha entertainment center.

That’s good news for Southeast Wisconsin and the entire state – because everyone will benefit from a healthy, competitive marketplace.

Say “yes” to real casino competition in Southeast Wisconsin by signing our online petition.

Petition Signers Call for Competition

Our online petition continues to collect signatures and great comments from people who want to see the jobs, economic opportunity and other benefits the Kenosha casino and real competition in Southeast Wisconsin’s gaming market would bring to our state.

Here are just a few samples of comments that readers have posted in the past couple weeks:

• Look at Tunica, Miss., and see all that the casinos and gaming has done for that area!! It is surely a big plus. From a very poor town to a very prosperous community. Casinos are here to stay and if we are smart - we would stop all this nonsense and bickering and start building in Kenosha!! It is time Wisconsin cashed in on some of the profits and the people get a chance at numerous jobs. Wisconsin people don't have to always being giving their money (so to speak) to other states. (Mary G.)

• The children of the Menominee Nation's future is at stake. (Corey S.)

• Yes to Kenosha gaming. (Robert S.)

• Let's get going with the building of the casino. (Rollan C.)

• I hate monopolies! Competition is not only healthy but good for the economy. (Michelle J.)

• Build it now! (Craig C.)

• Let’s be fair to all the tribes! (Jeff M.)

From the looks of it, more people are catching on to the real reason behind the Potawatomi’s multimillion-dollar campaign against the Kenosha casino – it’s a matter of controlling the market, limiting competition and preserving Potawatomi’s monopoly.

Join hundreds of signers in adding your own call for competition to our online petition.

Potawatomi’s Sweet Sixteen

How many D.C. lobbyists does it take to preserve a monopoly?

The Forest County Potawatomi Community – who have already spent millions in their quest to kill competition from the proposed Kenosha casino – is hoping 16 does the trick.

According to federal reports, the Potawatomi had 16 paid lobbyists promoting their anti-competition message in our nation’s capital during the first three months of 2008. Those lobbyists work for high-profile firms, and they targeted everyone from the House, Senate and the Department of the Interior to the Executive Office of the President of the United States. (It’s not the first time the Potawatomi have targeted the highest office in the land – apparently they think preserving their monopoly is so important that it deserves to be on the President’s “to do” list.)

We’ve got to give the Potawatomi credit where it’s due – they’ve certainly recruited an All-Star team in their fight against competition. Here’s just a sampling of the Sweet Sixteen lineup:

• The former legislative director and counsel for then-Senator Dirk Kempthorne. This lobbyist also served on the transition team when Kempthorne became Governor of Idaho. Coincidentally, Kempthorne is now the Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior, which has the final say on the Kenosha casino proposal.
• Former counsel to the President of the United States and chief of staff to the Vice President
• The son of a sitting U.S. Senator
• A GOP insider who has served in high-level White House positions and as chief of staff to a former Cabinet member
• Another well-known Republican operative who served as chief of staff for a former Wisconsin Governor and Cabinet member. (Ironically, his former boss signed the 2000 Menominee Compact with the State of Wisconsin that authorized establishment of a Menominee casino in Kenosha in the first place.)

All this talent comes with a hefty price tag. Reports reveal Potawatomi shelled out $185,000 for federal lobbying during the first three months of 2008. That puts them on track to break three-quarters of a million dollars before the year runs out.

Second quarter federal lobbying reports are due at the end of this month, and we’ll provide an update then. We’re coming up on some state lobbying filing deadlines, too. When it’s all tallied, it wouldn’t surprise us if Potawatomi plunked down another $1 million on anti-competition lobbying this year. After all, they’ve got a history of spending millions to stamp out potential competition.

No one said preserving a monopoly was cheap. But imagine what could happen if Potawatomi devoted its considerable resources to enhancing competition and bringing more jobs and more revenue to Wisconsin, instead of fighting it.

Help promote casino competition by signing our online petition.

JUST SAY YES!

There was a great Letter to the Editor in the Kenosha News Monday, July 7, 2008. It was submitted by Yolanda Adams, a Kenosha resident and long-time supporter of the Menominee casino project. Boy, was it on track.

Adams, a successful minority leader in the Kenosha community, wrote about how the proposed Menominee Kenosha entertainment center and casino project would create thousands of permanent jobs, put millions of dollars in state and local treasuries, fund Kenosha schools and boost tourism. In a nutshell, she said this project would “do great things for Kenosha.”

She’s right. Check out the major economic benefits of the project.

If you look at the PricewaterhouseCoopers study, the Menominee project would directly and indirectly create more than 5,000 jobs in the area and have an annual economic impact of more than $600 million. Plus, it will generate more than $2 billion (that’s right, $2 billion!) for state and local governments over a 20 year period.

Governor Doyle talked about economic growth and creating jobs in our state at a recent speech at Kenosha’s Carthage College. The letter writer, Ms. Adams, was there and heard the governor. She says she’ll encourage Doyle to “JUST SAY YES!” and support the Kenosha casino project to spur economic growth in the state. We hope others follow Adams’ lead by letting the Kenosha News know and telling the Governor that this project is a benefit for Kenosha and all of Wisconsin.

Say yes to healthy casino competition in SE Wisconsin by signing the online petition.

Menominee leads the nation in Army recruits

As our nation celebrated 232 years of independence over the weekend, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported a fascinating fact about the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin. (That’s the paper’s photo of Menominee veterans on the right.) According to a Post-Dispatch analysis, Menominee County – which shares its borders with the Menominee Reservation – has provided more soldiers per capita to the U.S. Army over the past four years than any other U.S. county without a major Army installation.

Eighty-one Menominee tribal members are currently serving in the U.S. Armed Forces, with 19 of them deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. The newspaper reports that Menominee youth are drawn to the military for a variety of reasons. It’s a chance to serve one’s country, to continue the Tribe’s proud cultural heritage and to find new opportunities amid the Tribe’s economic struggles.

The Post-Dispatch article, which also ran in the Wisconsin State Journal and was picked up by the Associated Press, talks more about the significant economic challenges facing the Menominee Tribe. It’s these kind of challenges – education, job-training, housing and more – that the Wisconsin Tribe’s proposed Kenosha casino would help address.

Sign the online petition to support casino competition in Wisconsin.

Plenty of market share – and Potawatomi knows it

Multiple economic studies show the Southeast Wisconsin gaming market is significantly underserved – in other words, there’s plenty of room for two casinos to successfully compete and thrive.

Looks like the Potawatomi know it, too.

Check out this recent interview from The Business Journal in Milwaukee, where the senior project executive for Potawatomi’s just-open, quarter-billion-dollar off-reservation casino expansion lets it slip that the shiny new addition was built with yet ANOTHER expansion in mind.

In the meantime, the Potawatomi have spent millions to kill potential competition from the proposed Kenosha casino.

It’s not that the market can’t handle more gaming – Potawatomi wouldn’t be looking at yet another Milwaukee expansion if the market were saturated.

No, the market’s plenty big enough. But Potawatomi wants special government privileges to eliminate competition before it starts and keep a monopoly for itself – even if it costs the state billions of dollars in new revenue and thousands of jobs.

Say yes to healthy casino competition in SE Wisconsin by signing the online petition.