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Council Members Urge Walker to Reject Kenosha Casino

Ann-Elise Henzl

Milwaukee leaders say the city could lose thousands of jobs, if the Menominee tribe is allowed to build a new casino.

The tribe has been trying for years to develop a casino on the site of the former greyhound track in Kenosha.

The Milwaukee Common Council unanimously approved a resolution on Tuesday, urging Gov. Scott Walker to reject the casino proposal.

In a statement, Common Council President Willie Hines says the casino could “cost the Milwaukee area as many as 3,000 jobs.”

The Potawatomi tribe, which runs the Potawatomi casino and bingo hall in Milwaukee’s Menomonee Valley, also is opposed to the Kenosha project.

Meanwhile, the mayors of Kenosha and Racine, and the Kenosha and Racine county executives, say they “wholeheartedly support” the casino plan. They call the casino the “biggest job creator and economic boost” that the community has seen in many years, and stress that they believe the casino would bring more than 5,000 jobs to the region.

Ann-Elise is WUWM's news director.