Rosemont mayor supports Chicago casino

Rosemont Mayor Bradley Stephens on Wednesday called a casino in the city of Chicago a "great" idea while maintaining his town still would like one, too.

His father, the late Mayor Donald E. Stephens, had long wanted to bring a casino to his small town on the edge of O'Hare International Airport but the issue has been tied up for years in lawsuits and political challenges. His dad died in April, leaving the son to continue the quest.

While his father's political clout after a half-century as mayor stretched across the state, Bradley Stephens' own political role has yet to be tested in his three months on the job.

As legislators debated a new budget late Tuesday, the option of a casino in the city of Chicago surfaced in Springfield as an option to raise money to fill a gaping gap in the state budget.

On Wednesday after Rosemont's monthly board meeting, Mayor Bradley Stephens said of a Chicago casino: "I think it's great."

Stephens added that Gov. Blagojevich said that he believes Rosemont is the best location for a Chicago area casino during a casual meeting in Springfield a few months ago. Stephens said the governor brought up the idea of a casino when he was visiting Springfield at the close of the spring session on an unrelated matter.

"I said, 'Why doesn't the state own it?' And he said, 'That's a good idea. Your dad brought that up,'" Stephens said.

A spokeswoman from the governor's office didn't return a request for comment.

Calling Blagojevich the "guy who's supposed to be a leader," he criticized the state for failing to bring a casino to fruition after years of talk.

A Chicago casino will benefit the city, he said. But "the state is the one that needs the money," he said.