“There's a whole team of people here tonight to make sure the concerns people raised will factor into our discussions.The Windy City is best known for its unique hot dogs, deep-dish pizzas, jazz music, gangster history, and various attractions, such as Millennium Park, the Riverwalk, Magnificent Aquarium, and the Skydeck. “We know what it's like to have a home, land and deep roots," said Stanhoff. Stanhoff said after the meeting that the tribe will take into account what neighbors expressed about the effect a bingo hall might have on the quiet aspects of a rural area. “What concerns me is that we've become sidetracked by the gambling issue when really we must talk to stay neighborly."
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“I think the tribe has been real neighborly," said DeKalb resident Mac McIntyre. Stanhoff said the tribe would organize funds to be paid out to the area in lieu of taxes. There's a possibility of posting a fact sheet outlining some of the things we've discussed tonight as well."Īnother issue that arose during the meeting was whether the tribe would be paying any taxes on revenue earned at the bingo hall.
“When something is complete we can post it, such as the letter I sent. “There is a danger in circulating something that is incomplete, and it's judged before being in its final form," said Matekaitis. He recommended posting material on the Internet to keep people abreast of the situation. Pastor Jim Allen from the Shabbona United Church of Christ said people feel anxious and unaware of the entire situation as it progresses. Stanhoff and Whittlesey pointed out that the tribe had the option to go to court and chose instead to try to discuss the matter with the county and residents. We know of other problems in this community like trash trucks and trains that run all hours of the night." “We've been held back from pursuing the American dream. “We don't have a lot of money, but what we have, we earned by taking care of our community," Stanhoff said. Tribal Chairwoman Tracy Stanhoff said the Potawatomi do not want to interfere with life in the village or Shabbona Lake State Park, which is adjacent to the site.
According to Whittlesey, there is no set time for when the county will hear back from the government.Ĭounty board members and officials, as well as representatives of the Potawatomi tribe, tried to clarify whether the land where the tribe would like to build is a reservation. But it's not clear from the historical record whether it had been abandoned by the tribe more than 100 years ago or if later treaties canceled out the reservation.ĭeKalb County State's Attorney Ron Matekaitis said at the meeting that he sent a letter on Wednesday to federal officials to get a declaration on whether the land is a reservation. The disputed land at University and Preserve roads, just east of Shabbona, is claimed as reservation land by the tribe. This is big-money gaming that's not going to stop with a bingo hall." “Moving ahead with the bingo hall will make it difficult to argue about future gaming on this property," Shabbona resident Bill Roseen said. “The only body that can interfere is the federal government."ĭuring a town meeting Thursday at Indian Creek High School, residents from Shabbona and elsewhere in DeKalb County mostly expressed disappointment at the possibility of the bingo hall opening in the area. “If the land is in reservation status, they have the right to use the land as they choose," Dennis Whittlesey, an attorney for DeKalb County, said Thursday. SHABBONA - The federal government is the only entity that can stop the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation from opening a bingo hall on 128 acres in rural Shabbona, a DeKalb County attorney said Thursday.
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