Chicago Minority Caucuses Push For Casino

CHICAGO - Chicago City Council’s Black and Hispanic Caucuses this week joined the battle between Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Gov. Pat Quinn over a land-based casino and slot machines at O'Hare and Midway airports.

The City Council members said a casino would give the city's minorities badly needed jobs to both build the casino and to maintain the city over the long haul.

“Our caucus came out and supported Quinn when it was a close call. He needs to understand that and see that our communities are suffering,” said Ald. Howard Brookins (21st), chairman of the City Council’s Black Caucus.

“Some of the prosperity seen downtown [was] not seen in our communities. There’s simply not enough money in the meager [aldermanic] menu program to fix everything that needs to be done in our communities. This is a way that we can help our constituents without raising taxes.”

“There are people on the other end pushing him saying, ‘We don’t need any more gaming.’ We just want him to know there are significant communities that we represent who really need a shot in the arm.”