State, County and City Support Seneca Motion
The Seneca Nation of Indians filed a legal brief yesterday in opposition to closing the temporary Seneca Buffalo Creek Casino. Officials from New York State, Erie County and City of Buffalo endorsed the motion with supporting affidavits.
Government officials cite economic benefits in revenue from the casino as a reason to resist the call of Citizens Against Casino Gambling in Erie County to close the casino.
“The Seneca Nation does not doubt the correctness or strength of its stance on these issues, but we do welcome outside support and commitment from our neighbors,” said Nation President Maurice A. John Sr. “The Seneca Nation is pleased to have the support of County Executive Collins, Mayor Brown and state officials in standing up to this misguided motion.”
Supporting affidavits come from Mayor Byron Brown and Erie County Executive Chris Collins personally, and a state gaming regulatory official.
County Executive Collins said, “In these difficult times, the Seneca Buffalo Creek Casino has proven to be an important source of revenue for the local economy. And it is projected to be an even far more significant contributor to the Erie County economy when its permanent facility is completed.”
To this Mayor Byron Brown said, “To prohibit gaming on the nine acres that has been deemed Indian land would deprive Buffalo of a new source of much needed revenue for future economic development projects.”
New York State Bureau of Gaming Operations Robert Williams said that the temporary Buffalo Creek facility brought $5.2 million in revenue-sharing obligations to the state in 2008, including local government revenues. It is projected that the three gaming facilities combined will bring in a total of $100 million to state and local governments in 2008.
Mayor Brown expects a $9 million a year return to Buffalo from the now dormant Buffalo Creek site. He also noted the fact that the casino will employ 1,000 people, many from Buffalo. In addition, Brown noted that the Senecas agreed to make $5 million to $7 million in infrastructure improvements to land bordering the casino and spend $1.7 million a year marketing the hotel and casino, and the City of Buffalo, outside the city and outside New York.
The brief contains the following:
The Nation has made its decisions regarding its Buffalo Creek facility in good faith, and those decisions have been fully consistent with the NIGC’s regulations and IGRA’s detailed remedial scheme. The Nation submits this brief amicus curiae in an effort to make very clear what actions it has taken, and what the intention has been behind those actions, since the issuance of this Court’s July and August 2008 decisions.
In contrast to Plaintiffs’ claims, the Seneca Nation has acted with one overriding goal since the issuance of this court’s July and August 2008 decisions: Securing from the federal government, in as expeditious a manner as possible, an updated and, if possible, a unified interpretation of the scope of section 2719 of IGRA, with the idea that this court could then determine whether such an interpretation (if indeed it differs from the one previously considered by this court) is legally permissible.
On Oct. 24, the U.S. Department of Justice notified the Seneca Nation that it filed a notice of appeal involving the court’s July and August decisions related to the casino.
Meanwhile, new Seneca officials have been elected. They are as follows: President: Barry E. Snyder Sr., for a fourth term. Treasurer: Jacqueline L. Bowen. Clerk: Lenith Waterman. Councilors, Allegany: Arlene Bova, Tracie Brown, Donald N. John, Michael L. John. Councilors, Cattaraugus: Todd Gates, Brad John, Llona LeRoy, J. Conrad Seneca. Chief Marshal, Allegany: Brandon S. Redeye. Chief Marshal, Cattaraugus: Keith White. Marshals, Allegany: Joe John, Clifford J. Pierce, Martin John. Marshals, Cattaraugus: Darby LeRoy, Michael Redeye, Houston Williams. Assessors, Allegany: Carolyn Brant, John Redeye, Lani K. George. Assessors, Cattaraugus: Joni A. Jackson, Kevin Printup, James “JJ” White. Highway Commissioner, Allegany: Gary Sanden. Highway Commissioner, Cattaraugus: Patricia Patterson. Poormaster, Allegany: Rae Lynn George. Poormaster, Cattaraugus: Debra Jimerson.
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Comment Options
Dangelo23
Somethings gotta give. Casino or not , we have steel beams up on this large block and no construction. What did the Anti Casino people expect to happen with this? Just finish what was started and move on. If your not a gambler, than don't go.
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InformedOne
If the State would man up and collect taxes on cigarettes and illegal fuel sales they wouldn't be touting the virtues of the casino as an economic engine. Chris Collins calls it an important source of revenue..what a joke! Let's factor in all the dependencies and bankruptcies, broken homes etc... into the equation and it rapidly turns into a negative cost/benefit analysis. It is kind of like him not factoring in the ECMC obligation into this years budget. i beleive ti is known as fuzzy math.
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cookjr
I love to see our politians unite together for the greater good of Buffalo. Buffalo is on the verge of having a thriving billion dollar district between the areana, the cobblestone district, the waterfront, and a new bass pro. Gamiing, watersports, shopping, restaurants, professional sports, concerts and even the historical canal all within a few blocks of eachother. Critical Mass and economic entertainment diversity is so important to the revitalization of buffalo. I really hope this project moves along soon. 350 million dollar development, free cultural advertising for Buffalo, infrastructural improvements, and a beautiful addition to the Buffalo skyline. That is excitment Buffalo is not use to. The people of Buffalo want it, build it! The wendt foundation is a great organization and I praise them for developing the genesse gateway, but they should not waste their money on paying attorneys to fight more opportunity and JOBS for Buffalo. If the attorneys are so great let them fight for the anti casino on their own dime, not charity monies. Continue to support economic development, not some greedy attorneys wallet.
No thanks to those who help stop the Casino. Those 1100 jobs in this current economy would be huge to the average buffaloian looking for a consistant, good paying job with benefits. To the upperclass, graveytrain, hampton vacationing, elitist - you really screwed us, when everything else seem to be going in Buffalo's direction.
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sonyactivision
If the City, State nad County governments can join together to clear this ridiculous obstacle to job creation, imagine what they can do on other obstacles as well. Everybody complains about "three men in a room" in Albany. These three entities in a courtroom could be the start of something more beautiful than a casino. Get them together on taxes, on transportation, on urban preservation and redevelopment.
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flyguy
Damn maybe finally the B-Lo can get this thing built!
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Assaroni
Its about time the officials stood up to these obstructionist idiots. If you dont want to go then stay home and go to albright knox. Dont ruin it for eveyone else in this city. We need entertainment, this city is boring...obviously we need new venues otherwise we wouldnt be struggling and losing population so rapidly.
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blackrocklifer
InformedOne is right on, Casino's are a drain on the host community
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Clyde
^^ Welfare and jails are a drain on the community too. Let's end these too while we're at it.
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Assaroni
Yeah they have killed Las Vegas. and Niagara Falls Canada..Theyd would be better off without them
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Assaroni
sarcasm off
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blackrocklifer
Assaroni- You know Las Vegas and Niagara Falls Ontario KEEP most of the profits. Buffalo and Niagara Falls N.Y. get chump change. No comparison.
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Clyde
Blackrock4life hates native americans
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Assaroni
all bflo liberals hate native americans, its sad...let em keep some money for shrist sake
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Clyde
They are only concerned about the white and black poor who live in the city, not those wealthy native americans living in the far exurbs outside of Clarence and West Seneca. They should leave their private estates and government provided land and live in the city like the good poor folk do. No need for them to be getting rich on casinos and cigarettes when they can be dirt poor like the rest of the lazy bastards in Buffalo.
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rb66
MAYOR BROWN SAYS IT ALL: Mayor Brown expects a $9 million a year return to Buffalo from the now dormant Buffalo Creek site. He also noted the fact that the casino will employ 1,000 people, many from Buffalo. In addition, Brown noted that the Senecas agreed to make $5 million to $7 million in infrastructure improvements to land bordering the casino and spend $1.7 million a year marketing the hotel and casino, and the City of Buffalo, outside the city and outside New York.
LETS GET THIS THING DONE AND MOVE FORWARD. C'MON BUFFALO!
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Colin
I'm not gonna argue that a casino is bad (yet again), but I will point out how stupid many of the pro-casino arguments tend to be. We have a great sample already in this short thread.
"Casino or not , we have steel beams up on this large block and no construction. What did the Anti Casino people expect to happen with this? Just finish what was started and move on." So starting construction -- even if it's found to be illegal -- means that the construction should be allowed to finish? And the anti-casino people warned the Senecas that starting construction while the lawsuit was in motion was a risky move.
"If your not a gambler, than don't go." This is idiocy at it's finest. A casino would impact everyone in the city -- gamblers or not -- and would come about as the result of decisions by the federal, state and local governments. That means it's a public matter, and should be open to public intervention.
"We need entertainment, this city is boring" It's probably not a good idea to make huge decisions effecting the future of the city based on frivolities like "I'm bored" or "I like tall buildings."
"Yeah they have killed Las Vegas. and Niagara Falls Canada." Wildly inappropriate analogies.
"Blackrock4life hates native americans" . . . "all bflo liberals hate native americans" Slanderous race-baiting -- you stay classy, pro-casino folks!
"MAYOR BROWN SAYS IT ALL . . ." If you're going to rely on an authority to bolster your argument, you should probably pick a better authority. The mayor isn't an economist, or an expert on gambling issues, or even an expert on development. He's an expert at getting people to vote for him. And his support for a casino is based on making a temporary splash as he bides his time, waiting for Louise Slaughter to retire.
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wingking
Colin - well stated. I am not opposed to gambling, but this deal STINKS. And it's for LIFE? Ever wonder why this couldn't be at least a 20 year lease???? It is touted in terms of black white: jobs vs. no jobs, development vs. no development. This will not draw tourism, it will drain local pockets, and the money will got to Albany, then downstate. In 15 years, even Buffalo itself will be cut out of the money - but politicians in office now, only care about balancing a budget NOW. This is not going to be NF, Ontario or Las Vegas - it will be a blight that will close the doors of gas stations, concert halls and restaurants run by small business owners who play by the rules.
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Assaroni
there is no getting thru to you hippies here on this site, no wonder readership and advertising is way down. there is no room for alternative viewpoints.. Newell, you should call this liberl hippies rising... republicans and people who actually work for a living need not apply.com
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gaustad
Assaroni, the site is geared toward Liberal Hippis. They all cheer lead each others view points. Any alternative view points are deleted or edited.
As a result, you have a bunch of "dreamers" on a web site that never address the real issues facing the city....and, therefore, never progress.
They have no money, no business sense, and no 401k. Hence, vote for Obama.
DJI down another 350 today and heading back to 8000. Great!
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rb66
Colin - It's about jobs! WNY needs jobs. This will create over 1,000 permanant jobs, hundreds of construction jobs, countless vendor opportunities, and future renovation construction work.
Local businesses will not lose employees to the casino. That's ridiculous.
As I stated in a previous post I have friends that work at the casinos. One is a black jack dealer at the Niagara Falls casino. He loves his job, makes good money, and has great benefits. Some nights he'll bring home over $300 in tips. Another works at the temporary facility in Buffalo. He also gets paid well, and has one of the best benefits packages an employer could offer. The Senecas treat there employees extremely well. If these jobs were not available to these people they would most likely have left WNY.
These will be people working downtown. Spending money at local establishments , renting apartments, buying houses. Spending time in the city when they get off work etc... .
JOBS, JOBS, JOBS!
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blackrocklifer
Gaustad, Assaroni, Clyde- Maybe if you made an intelligent argument you wouldn't find your crude, rude , and uninformed comments deleted.
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Colin
"Local businesses will not lose employees to the casino. That's ridiculous."
How is it ridiculous? I don't know whether they will or won't. What I do know is that people who have actually studied this issue paint a very mixed picture on whether a casino is a net creator of jobs. And I also know that Gov. Pataki's own study suggested similar things -- and he was a huge casino supporter. And I also know that the Buffalo Niagara Partnership -- not exactly a hippy institution -- came out against a Buffalo casino.
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rb66
No one will ever convince me that a $333 million development project in downtown Buffalo that will create thousands of good jobs is a bad thing. Jobs that pay well with great benefits are hard to find anywhere right now, not just Buffalo.
The Senecas are not going anywhere. They will always be here. That can't be said for many business that have left the region. The jobs that this development wil create will never be moved to Mexico or outsourced to India.
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bhorvath
legalize gambling and build your own casino and keep all the money
more socially constructed lines here - you sell lotto tickets and don't care about horse racing, but no other gambling...just makes no sense at all
cheers to the Senecas for knowing how to make a buck, thumbs down for the dumbasses in Albany who let the money go bye bye..
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blackrocklifer
gaustad- I HAD a pretty good 401b until your republicans friends put our economy in the toilet. Why don't you ever whine about corporate welfare, that's where the big money went.
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nick
rb66,
Aren't you technically outsourcing entertainment jobs with the possible loss of jobs in the city of buffalo to a soverign nation? They're not opening a factory over there, its local entertainment, local entertainment doesn't get outsourced to Mexico or India.
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SLEEPL8
EVERONE. Nice work so far on the comments. There are some great points from both sides. I am all for the development of the cobblestone/waterfront "entertainment district" The pieces are in place this part of town to actually become a destination. It's not just a "casino in the ghetto" It's one important piece of a greater whole. No one can agree on one particular part, whether it be the casino or bass pro etc. but when/if all these controversial components are combined we may find that we have a destination with venues appealing to broad range of people. Development is self perpetuating. If we can start with the two pieces, more will follow.
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rb66
Nick - "Aren't you technically outsourcing entertainment jobs with the possible loss of jobs in the city of buffalo to a soverign nation?" HUH? NO.
"They're not opening a factory over there, its local entertainment, local entertainment doesn't get outsourced to Mexico or India." EXACTLY. THE $333 MILLION DEVELOPMENT WILL CREATE SECURE.
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rb66
SECURE JOBS.
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Assaroni
I am against Bass Pro because what they do to fish in my opinion is inhumane... I will gather all of my PETA freinds, hire a huge law firm, and sue the shit out of the City, Bass Pro, and creat a CAITFB group Citizens against Inhumane Treatment of Fish in Buffalo. I will sue every restaurant that serves fish frys and any and all seafood. This way we can even the playing field for our little friends in the sea.
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gaustad
blackrocklifer - what did you have in your 401b - 22 bucks?
I am not a Republican or a Democrat (their both retarded), just someone that understands macroeconomics, very well I might add...and I can tell you that the DJIU is heading to 7500 becuase traders do not like the tax plans that Obama has in store for us.
Too many people expecting a socialist gravy train.....go ahead and lose your retirement. I have money to average down....do you?
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platt4
LOL @ Gaustad! Blaming the President-elect for the financial melt-down years in the making! Let me guess, voo-doo economics major? LOLOLOLOL!
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Buffalo21stcentury
Jobs? What jobs? Who has the money to gamble much less travel and gamble?
Furthermore, Brown has already proven that he wont take the casino revenue and re-invest it in city infrastructure and job creation. No, Brown wants to invest it it more VPs, Directors, patronage and of course union contracts.
Furthermore, the state of ny would love the casino to get built. For NYS, it means another source of revenue to make up for the financial collapse of wall street and justification to reduce STATE AID to Buffalo and Erie County.
So excuse me if I just dont see much immediacy in the casino right now.
Though, I say this still remains an excellent opportunity to build a new 400k sqft convention and conference and hotel center at a rewatered ohio basin.
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wingking
Buff21 - If/when plans for the casino are stopped, the Senecas are sure to leave the structure already built, to stand and rust for 50 years. Get used to it, it will be there longer then any of us. A tribute to the debacle that would not let them build in Cheektowaga, and a true testament to them as bad neighbors.
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gaustad
wingking - knew this was coming, I hope the people that are opposed to the Casino have enough courtesy to spend their own money tearing it down....besides that steel is worth something today
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rb66
If the Senecas can not proceed with their $333 million casino/hotel development they should erect a 200 foot statue of an indian chief giving a middle finger salute and surround it with gas pumps and smoke shops.
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d_a_n
while we're at it, why don't we sell off part of downtown to canadians so they can open a casino, too? right?
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Assaroni
love it RB66 !!! good call DAN Smokes and Gas...I would invest in it...make a fortune
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NewBuffalo
use the steel for a base to erect a statue of "Joel Rose" and his gang of idiots. With a large sign at the base saying" A tribute to obstructionists and the Death of Buffalo "
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peripatetic
Voters rejected MyOhioNow’s casino proposal by nearly a 2-1 margin Tuesday, with 3.28 million voting against State Issue 6 and 1.95 million in favor. The proposed constitutional amendment would have allowed MyOhioNow and its lead investor, Lakes Entertainment Inc., a gaming company based in Minneapolis, to build a casino resort in southwest Ohio near Wilmington. Casino proponents will try again in 2009.
NY voters also voted against casino gambling when they last had the opportunity. It is illegal in NYS. Brown and Collins should be impeached for supporting an illegal activity. Let them go through the legal voting process ala Ohio.
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sonyactivision
Create a local option district and let the counties hold special elections on the subject. If no one Downstate wants casinos, fine. But let the voters in Erie County have that option.
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