La Crosse Tribune: Price tag of casino fight hits $160,000

Groups on both sides of Tuesday's Ho-Chunk casino referendum have spent more than $160,000 during the past two months in their efforts to sway voters.

Despite earlier claims that it wouldn't spend more than $50,000 on the referendum, the Ho-Chunk Nation had sunk $122,804 into promoting the issue through the end of October, according to campaign finance reports.

A tribal spokesman had named the $50,000 figure in response to an opponent's prediction that the Ho-Chunk would spend $250,000.

But that was before the flying casino ad, sponsored by the No Casino Group. The television ad shows a casino dropping from the sky onto a La Crosse neighborhood, illustrating opponents' contention that no one knows where the casino would go.

Tribal attorney Michelle Greendeer said the nation's legislature had only approved about $50,000 for the campaign. But legislators were "so disappointed with the flying casino" that they appropriated more money last week for ads to respond, she said.

"We had no idea they (anticasino groups) would present something that doesn't present the facts," Greendeer said. "We still kept (spending) under half of what they said it would be."

Two groups are working against a casino. No Casino is sponsored by the Tavern League of La Crosse, and has about $50,000 to spend on the campaign. However, most of the money

$34,000 - came from the Isle of Capri riverboat casino in Marquette, Iowa.

Jeff Woodruff, president of the tavern league, said he has heard a lot of positive things about the flying casino ad. "But if you're pro-casino, you probably don't like it," he said.

The other anti-casino group, United for a Greater Coulee Region, is composed

mostly of local religious and community leaders. It has much less money $10,837 and is concentrating on yard signs, billboards and mailings. It's big contributors include members of the Gundersen and Gelatt families, Bethany Evangelical Free Church and the Diocese of La Crosse.

United for a Greater Coulee Region also received $2,000 from the No Casino Group, and will list another $2,000 donation in its final report, said treasurer Sigurd B. Gundersen Jr.

The clergy-based group has tried to separate itself financially from the tavern league group, especially because the tavern league is taking money from a casino, and some taverns have controversial video gambling machines.

Gundersen said the clergy group accepted much less money this election than five years ago during the Lac du Flambeau casino referendum, when they got $15,000 from the tavern league.

Woodruff said that for both sides, the money issues shouldn't matter much now. "We should be beyond the money now and looking at the issues," he said.