March 1,2003
How much is a governor's ear worth?

Apparently, more than what the boys who have long dreamed of putting a casino in Kenosha were willing to pay.

Kenosha power brokers Dennis Troha and Joe Madrigrano Jr., the driving forces behind the casino idea, steered at least $160,000 to Jim Doyle's camp - most of it delivered in the 11th hour of the tightly contested gubernatorial campaign.

You'd think that would be enough to win over the governor, or most any other pol.

Not this time.

Not when three casino-rich tribes kicked more than 700-grand into national Democratic coffers to help out Doyle. And certainly not when Doyle confidant Marty Schreiber represents one of those tribes, the Forest County Potawatomi.

On Monday, Doyle officials announced a deal with the Potawatomi that would give the northern Wisconsin tribe a casino monopoly for a 50-mile radius from its Menomonee Valley gambling hall - an area that includes Dairyland Greyhound Park in Kenosha and Geneva Lakes Greyhound Track in Delavan. Both sites have been repeatedly mentioned as possible locations for off-reservation casinos, with Troha & Co. losing its bid to land one at the Kenosha track about two years ago.

That was then.

"The Potawatomi, in quotes, holds the cards, end of quotes," Troha said Tuesday.

The ace up the Potawatomi's sleeve: The deal cut with Doyle's team would require the state to return about $78 million in fees to be paid by the tribe and end future payments if it permits anyone else - Indian or non-Indian - to run casino games on their exclusive turf.

Doyle's people, of course, say the $200,000 in soft money given by the tribe on Oct. 29 didn't cross their minds when they were cutting this sweetheart deal that lasts forevermore.

The Oneida, who gave $25,000 to the same Democratic fund in late October, ignited the current furor when it announced the details of its own generous, never-ending compact with Doyle. The Ho-Chunk topped everyone by giving $500,000 to the Democrats. We should all find out soon just what they got for their coin.

But the tribes weren't the only ones playing the money game in the final weeks of the race.

Last Oct. 24, as the Doyle team was scrambling for dollars, Troha delivered $64,500 directly to the campaign from relatives, employees and those joining him in the failed push to open an Indian casino in the stateline community. That sum came on top of the more than $50,000 that he and Madrigrano gave Doyle during the summer.

And there's more.

Troha, his wife and three kids each shipped $5,000, or a total of $25,000, to a special fund run by the state Democratic Party in late October. Also, don't forget the $25,000 that Troha donated to help make sure that Doyle's inaugural party would be really special.

Troha said he was disappointed with the compact that apparently puts the kibosh on the off-reservation jackpot that he and others had been hoping to hit for years. He said he was even more bothered by the governor's decision to allow off-track betting at Potawatomi, a type of gambling that had been the exclusive domain of Dairyland and Geneva Lakes.

Yet, despite having invested considerable time and money in Doyle, the trucking magnate said he still supports the gov.

"He's got a tough job," Troha said. "He's the best candidate for the state."

Troha also seemed surprisingly calm Tuesday morning in the wake of being dealt a major blow.

One theory: It's a long shot, but the Kenosha clique still might be in the money.

Troha said the only way a casino can be built at the Kenosha dog track would be to bring the Potawatomi into the deal since only it can waive the monopoly protection.

"We would have to sit down with Potawatomi and bridge that gap," he said. "They'd have to be involved in the process."

Would that mean giving the tribe a cut of the profits, which would exceed $100 million?

"That's the only way."