Seneca Nation Scolds Gov. Hochul for Not Communicating Casino Talks
Posted on: June 18, 2023, 09:01h.
Last updated on: June 19, 2023, 12:16h.
The Seneca Nation came out swinging Friday. The tribe issued a statement in response to numerous state lawmakers and local officials in Rochester lambasting New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s (D) office for? seeming backroom negotiations with the tribe regarding a new gaming compact.
Earlier this month, the tribe and governor surprised much of the public by announcing that the two parties had reached an agreement in principle for a new 20-year, Class III gaming compact. But reports surfaced that the revenue-sharing agreement for the tribe’s three Las Vegas-style casinos included a controversial provision. That could allow the nation to build a fourth full-scale casino in Rochester, and many state and local leaders raised their voices in opposition to the contract.
State lawmakers representing Monroe County said they were kept in the dark about a Rochester casino being included in such tribal talks. Rochester Mayor Malik Evans (D) said Hochul’s decision not to include the city was “an issue of disrespect.”
Hochul’s office claimed her administration is legally barred from including the legislature in such tribal conferences. Hochul recused herself from the discussions, as her husband works in an executive capacity at Delaware North, a Seneca competitor in Upstate New York.
Seneca Statement
In a lengthy statement from Seneca Nation President Rickey Armstrong Sr., the tribe scolded Hochul’s office for the critical press.
The blame for keeping Rochester officials out of the loop lays directly at the feet of the executive,” Armstrong said in reference to Hochul. “The Nation regularly consulted our own legislative branch, and expected that the executive was doing the same.”
Armstrong said the governor’s claim that she’s legally barred from communicating the discussions with other state officials is inaccurate.
“The executive was free to communicate with local officials throughout the process, on what it was negotiating for and what it agreed to,” Armstrong continued. “The failure of the executive to communicate with its own government speaks to the utter disregard the governor had for this process.”
While tribal gaming compact negotiations are handled by the governor, the executive needs approval from the New York State Legislature to sign a new revenue sharing agreement. The New York Senate signed off on a bill authorizing Hochul to sign the terms before the Rochester casino talks came to light. The measure has since stalled in the Assembly.
Seneca Alleges Hochul Misconduct
William Hochul’s employer, Delaware North, operates Finger Lakes Gaming & Racetrack in Farmington just south of Rochester. Armstrong claims that while Hochul stated publicly that she would recuse herself from the tribal talks, that didn’t actually occur, and the governor instead schemed to protect her husband’s interests.
The powers behind this decision should not be ignored. We were told that Gov. Hochul recused herself, and yet, Finger Lakes Gaming, owned by Delaware North, led the charge to defeat the renewal of the Seneca Nation’s compact. Their statement opposing the compact released on Monday is proof positive. Now, the greatest beneficiary of the Nation’s expiring compact is Delaware North itself, as the company also operates Hamburg Gaming near Buffalo. Corporate executives at Delaware North will celebrate this Father’s Day weekend, thankful that the State has once again protected their interests at the expense of a Native Nation,” Armstrong declared.
Armstrong ended by saying the nation is disappointed that Hochul seems content to allow the compact to die.
“The Nation is once again reminded that Native Nations in the State of New York are secondary to corporate interests,” Armstrong concluded.
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Last Comment ( 1 )
As a Seneca member I’m ecstatic the assembly has killed this secret agreement and I’m 100 percent behind the Mayor and people of Rochester for not supporting this deal for lack of transparency to their constituents. Not only was the assembly left in the dark so we’re the Seneca people. In order for the Seneca Nation to enter into a compact, said compact must be approved by the Seneca people by a referendum vote. I don’t know where President Armstrong is being ill advised in saying that this stops us from having a compact. We can still have a compact without exclusivity. The Indian Gaming Regulatory Act specifically states that the only assessment a State can impose on a tribe is for reimbursement of regulatory fees and prohibits a State from assessing a percentage based on revenue share without making quantifiable concessions for it. This secret agreement promising the Nation to establish another class III gaming casino in Rochester was so the State could get a percentage of our slot revenue and continue to claim the exclusive we had in the first compact has value. We all know the exclusivity is so watered down now with the State legalizing class III gaming on 2013 and the mobile sports betting is a breach of our current exclusive and therefore the state isn’t entitled to continue in any type of revenue share from our slots and would be considered a tax, which is prohibited pursuant to the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act and would not be approved by the Secretary of the Interior. And more importantly, it would not be approved by the Seneca people.