New York’s Seneca Nation, whose current gaming compact expires in December, was thrown a curve last week by the New York Assembly, which declined to bring the tribe’s new compact, negotiated with state officials in relative secrecy, to a vote that would have authorized Governor Kathy Hochul to finalize the deal.
The state Senate had already signed legislation authorizing the finalization of the new compact, but the Assembly announced it would not bring the issue to a vote because of strong objections by the delegation representing Monroe County and officials of the county seat, the city of Rochester.
Following the secretive negotiations, it was revealed that the new gaming compact drafted by the tribe and state officials includes a plan for a new tribal casino in Rochester.
The special session of the Assembly held last week had been slated to include a vote on the compact. However, in a tweet on Friday, June 23, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie said lawmakers could not move forward “at this time” due to “the sentiment of the Assembly’s Monroe County delegation—coupled with the potential loss of union jobs.”
The latter concern stems from a rally by unionized gaming employees after county and Rochester officials blasted the secretive deal to include a Rochester casino in the new compact.
Rochester Assemblyman Harry Bronson attended meetings last week with the governor’s office and with Seneca Nation top leaders, but reported there are still too many questions concerning the compact.
“We met with top officials in the office who are knowledgeable regarding the discussions that they have been having with the Senecas,” Bronson said, according to Spectrum News. “We were able to confirm that the language they’ve been using indeed was the Rochester market, which was defined as Monroe County.
“What does that mean to our families? What does that mean to the gaming industry here? What impact will it have on the existing casinos? And what impact will have on the thousands of workers who are currently working there who are union workers getting good pay with benefits?”
Many in the Assembly have complained that they were left out of negotiations between the tribe and members of the Hochul administration, the first details of which surfaced after the Senecas announced an agreement in principle on the new 20-year compact.
“In the Assembly, we didn’t take a vote,” said Bronson, according to Spectrum. “Thankfully, I learned of the issue of a potential casino, consulted with my colleagues in the Assembly, and we approached the speaker and asked him to put a pause on this… We need to get more information and we need the input of our families in the Monroe County area… I don’t think we’re going to get sufficient information to take up a vote next Tuesday or Wednesday when we’re in session. So it’s my full expectation we’ll do it sometime later this year.”
Bronson elaborated in an interview with WXXI News: “We asked for a market analysis and things of that nature,” he said. “We’re looking forward to getting more information from the governor’s office, but they have been able to answer some of our questions, none of which alleviated the concern our delegation has with having a casino in the Rochester Market area.”
Bronson added that he has concerns about whether a casino in the Rochester area would really benefit the local economy.
Seneca Nation President Rickey Armstrong, Sr. denounced the Assembly’s indecision in a statement.
“The Executive Chamber’s non-committal approach and the Assembly’s decision to place special interests over the benefits of this historic agreement at the eleventh hour is despicable,” Armstrong said. “The Seneca Nation announced an agreement with New York state that we believe represents a fair deal for everyone.
“The governor’s negotiating team spent 11 months negotiating the terms of this agreement. The parties arrived at an agreement that we believed was allowable under the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, while still benefiting the state and, particularly, local communities. The Nation did so with terms that would still provide the Seneca Nation with fair value for what, even under new terms, would remain one of the highest exclusivity share payments in the country. The state Senate approved the deal overwhelmingly, recognizing the mutual benefits the agreement would provide to the state and the Nation.”
Armstrong added that tribal officials met with local Rochester leaders to address their concerns, and promised to work together to site any future casino in a location that worked for local communities.
“And yet, the Nation’s attempts to rectify that lack of understanding have fallen short, and the Nation is once again reminded that Native nations in the state of New York are secondary to corporate interests. By failing to advance this bill, the Assembly is telling the Seneca Nation we don’t even deserve the opportunity to start those conversations.”
The Seneca Nation already owns and operates three casinos in Western New York. The Seneca Niagara Casino opened in 2002, followed by the Salamanca location which opened in 2004, and the Buffalo location in 2007.
