In light of the recent indictment of Gov. Jim Doyle's biggest campaign contributor, Dennis Troha, Assembly Speaker Mike Huebsch, R-West Salem, is pushing for a bill to oversee casino projects in Wisconsin.
Troha, a local millionaire businessman, allegedly donated $200,000 illegally to the Doyle campaign. He had a contract to build an $808 million casino project in Menominee.
The bill would give the legislature the ability to vote on whether or not a casino could be built. The governor is currently the only person with that power. A bill proposing the same reforms was passed by the legislature in 2005 but was ultimately vetoed by Doyle.
Casinos have become the largest source of campaign donations within the past two election cycles, according to Mike McCabe, executive director of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign. McCabe said the Troha indictment underscores this problem.
""The oversight of gambling in Wisconsin, particularly off-reservation casino gambling, leaves a lot to be desired,"" McCabe said.
The gambling community donates millions to campaigns, more than any prior personal interest donors, McCabe said. This leaves other interest groups with no choice but to increase their spending as well, making casinos a catalyst in the overall increase in campaign donations.
McCabe said legislative control is not the answer because there are too many problems rooted in campaign finance reform issues. He added that once campaign contributions are controlled, many of the problems associated with it will fix themselves.
There is no indication as to whether or not Doyle will sign the bill, but endorsers of the bill have high hopes since the Troha case has gained media attention.
""I think public pressure will weigh heavily on the governor's decision,"" said state Rep. Scott Suder, R-Abbotsford.
Suder said this decision will be influential because it will take a decision made by one person behind closed doors and make it a decision for the public forums.
""One person should not be able to decide where off-reservation gaming facilities are located in Wisconsin, whether he's a Democrat or whether he's a Republican,"" he said.
