Tuesday, August 01, 2006

As reported by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: "A state official who helped
negotiate a casino agreement with the Oneida tribe previously worked for
that tribe as a lobbyist. "Sean Dilweg, the chief aide to Administration
Secretary Stephen Bablitch, said he did not believe his ties to the tribe
constituted a conflict of interest. Dilweg lobbied for the tribe - along
with two dozen other clients - in 2000 and 2001. In January 2003, he took
the state job and immediately started working on negotiations with the
Oneida and other tribes. "Dilweg noted that the deals he helped broker with
the Oneida and the other tribes quadrupled the amount of money the tribes
were to pay the state in 2004 for the right to operate casinos, bringing it
to more than $100 million. "Dilweg lobbied for the Oneida over the tribe's
payments to the state for tobacco sales and had nothing to do with their
casino operations."