Beloit casino affects tribal election
BAD RIVER – The chairwoman of a northern Wisconsin Chippewa tribe has been voted out of office after some complained that she was jeopardizing the tribe’s involvement in a proposed Beloit casino project.
Tribal Chair Loretta Livingston, of the Bad River Band of Chippewa, lost a recall election Tuesday by a margin of 13 votes out of 507 votes cast.
Eugene Bigboy Sr. is considered the front-runner to fill her vacant spot. Bigboy was the runner-up behind Livingston in the November election, but he would need to be nominated and approved during a Tribal Council meeting to occupy the chair.
Critics had complained that Livingston was trying to pull the tribe out of a multimillion-dollar Beloit casino project in conjunction with the St. Croix Chippewa Band. The project has not yet been granted federal and state approval.
Livingston has said her hesitancy stemmed in part from concerns that the terms of the project would not be in the best interest of either tribe.
Also listed in the recall petition were claims that Livingston asked for a $20,000 raise while she cut wages for other employees, and that she halted housing construction and expansion of a local clinic.
Jun 1, 2008 at 2:50 p.m.
Suggest removal
IT HAS ALL BEEN A WASTE OF MONEY FROM THE BEGINNING. IMAGINE HOW THE CASINO IN TURTLE LAKE COULD HAVE USED THE MONEY WHICH WAS PILFERED IN THIS FIASCO. PEOPLE WORK AT THE ST. CROIX CASINO IN TURTLE LAKE FOR A WHOPPING WAGE OF $7.00 PER HOUR. AND WE ALL KNOW A FAMILY CAN LIVE ON THAT. CASINOS ARE NOT THE ANSWER TO THE TRIBES OF WISCONSIN WOES.
Mar 13, 2008 at 4:07 p.m.
Suggest removal
That takes some nerve to ask for a $20G raise, while you're cutting employees wages.
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