At the Pueblo of Pojoaque near Santa Fe, New Mexico, Allen Mosley, chief executive officer at Pueblo of Pojoaque Business Corporations, recently resigned, and Mark Schrecengost, who had been general manager at Buffalo Thunder Resort and Casino since 2012, was placed on administrative leave. Mosley stated he believed a political struggle was occurring “and I thought it was time to move on and not be a part of it. The new administration wants to bring in a new vision that’s probably different than the previous administration. It’s their choice to go in a new direction. ”Tribal leaders did not comment on the statement by Mosley, who served as chief executive officer of the Pojoaque enterprises for nine years and as chief financial officer for 10 years before that.
Joseph Talachy took office as governor of the pueblo in January, after George Rivera, who served as governor for 10 years, did not seek re-election and backed Talachy, the former lieutenant governor.
Mosley said Rivera told him to deliver a letter of termination to Schrecengost. “So I did that and was put on administrative leave by the governor’s office. It was indefinite. So I gave my resignation almost immediately after that.”
Asked for the reasons behind the actions, Rivera stated, “That’s being handled internally.” Talachy said, “George and I are still tight. There’s nothing going on there. We’re just going in a different direction.”
The pueblo’s current compact with the state of New Mexico will expire on June 30. It has filed a lawsuit against Governor Susana Martinez’s administration to try to negotiate a compact directly with the U.S. Department of Interior. Pueblo officials walked out on negotiations with Martinez’s representatives in 2013, although the state and the Navajo Nation and other tribes reached compact agreements. Rivera has said the administration wanted the tribe to pay the state a higher percentage of slot revenue and to ban customers from drinking alcohol on the gaming floor.
The pueblo’s businesses wing operates Buffalo Thunder, which includes two hotels, bars and restaurants; the Towa Golf Club, featuring three nine-hole golf courses; Cities of Gold Casino, with a hotel and a bowling alley; and a variety of smaller businesses.
