Mayor Rahm Emanuel didn't use any choice language in his response to Gov. Pat Quinn's veto Tuesday of the Illinois gambling expansion bill.
But he might as well have, because Emanuel sounds particularly perturbed.
“A Chicago casino would create thousands of crucial jobs for Chicagoans and provide resources that would be used to rehabilitate neighborhood schools," Emanuel said in a statement response. "Chicago loses $20 million a month and countless jobs to casinos in Indiana. Those jobs should be here in Chicago, supporting the families of our tradespeople and helping the entire city’s economic future. It is the responsibility of the Governor and all leaders in Illinois to stop this outflow of dollars and jobs."
It's no secret the mayor wants his own casino.
He went toe-to-toe with Quinn back when the governor vetoed the first iteration of a bill that would bring a land-based casino (read: revenue) to Chicago. Emanuel was convinced he could change Quinn's mind by reminding him of a casino's benefits: 20,000 jobs, a happier school system, new roads and improved public transportation.
The two talked, Emanuel reportedly lost it at one point with the governor on the phone, and before Tuesday's deadline, the mayor publicly said he wanted a casino for the kids.
Tuesday came, Quinn vetoed the new bill and Emanuel is clearly upset.
"I spoke with the Governor this morning and we agreed, it cannot take another 20 years of discussion to draft and pass a bill that will be signed into law," Emanuel said. "I will continue to work relentlessly with all parties to pass a bill that will allow a Chicago casino to be built and implemented responsibly.”
For Quinn, it'll take some changes, especially an amendment to the "glaring deficiency" in the absence of ethical oversight. In a letter to the Senate, he said Illinois can't solve its fiscal problems with gambling, and singling out Chicago, said, "permitting the Chicago casino to operate without the appropriate oversight of the Gaming Board is not good for Illinois."
