February 8, 2010

What happened?

The rejection

Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne on Jan. 4 rejected 11 applications for off-reservation casinos, including the St. Regis Mohawk proposal at the Monticello Gaming & Raceway and the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of the Mohicans project in Bridgeville. Nine other tribes were notified that their applications were incomplete.

On what basis?

The Interior Department adopted the policy of "commutable distance," denying the casinos because the tribal members could not commute from the reservation to the site of the casino, in the Mohawk's case 350 miles away. This clarifies Interior's longstanding regulation to grant more scrutiny to land into trust applications proportional to the distance from the reservation. Marking another shift in policy, Interior issued a blanket rejection of the 11 projects based on this rule, having previously notifying the tribes that each project would be evaluated on the individual merits. As to the Mohawk project, Interior ignored state and local support.

The gaming issue has had a torturous route—at times so close to actual approval, developers, architects, and serious plans were presented to  the formal political machinery of Sullivan County.

Actual tribe negotiations took place, planning and zoning boards reviewed site details.  Yes, we almost had the opportunity to tap into a vast entertainment market perfect for our County—at least, that’s what gambling proponents claimed.

A wealth of relevant information exists on-line.  Suffice it to say, I’ve opened up this topic because, yet again, gaming in The Catskills is heating up. 

Why Gambling is BACK ON THE TABLE IN THE SULLIVAN COUNTY, NY CATSKILLS-See Article Below.

Time Line For Sullivan County, NY Catskills Gaming Issue

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  Sullivan County Democrat--February 2, 2010

Mohawks give nod to Catskills casino
By Dan Hust

MONTICELLO — Thompson Supervisor Tony Cellini said he’d be willing to work with the St. Regis Mohawks on a local casino if they ever changed their minds.

On Saturday, they did.

Though results have yet to be officially certified, the St. Regis Mohawk Tribal Council announced on Sunday that 538 tribal members voted to approve pursuing an off-reservation casino in the Catskills.
Those against totalled 371, with 27 ballots voided.

Saturday’s vote was a major reversal of a November vote on the exact same issue, which generated 178 “no” votes compared to 140 “yes” votes.

“I think they realized how important it is to their tribe,” Cellini mused yesterday. “It’s as important to them as it is to us.”
The tribal council’s public information director, David Staddon, said heavy campaigning, both for and against, preceded Saturday’s vote, which in part led to the large turnout.

“It’s certainly a healthy reflection of the governmental process in the community,” he explained.

He hadn’t heard of any challenges to the vote as of yesterday, and in five days, the results will be certified.

This latest approval could put the Mohawks back on track with Empire Resorts to construct and operate a casino on the grounds of Monticello Raceway, but Staddon said no formal discussions have been held.

The Mohawks are not tied to anyone currently, though Staddon acknowledged that Empire remains the top choice, especially with its land and recent capital investment from a major Asian conglomerate.
“They seem to be the most likely candidates,” he affirmed.

Staddon, however, added that the design of a Catskills casino has been scaled back from initial projects of $500-$600 million.
“The property, at least initially, is not going to be in that kind of price range,” he said, pointing out the economic struggles of similar Indian-owned casinos like Foxwoods in Connecticut.

Instead, the Mohawks now plan to build in phases, said Staddon.
But there’s a larger hurdle than construction: the U.S. Department of the Interior has yet to change the Bush Administration’s stance that gaming at locations far away from tribal reservations is not permissible.

Federal officials have indicated for months that current Interior Secretary Ken Salazar is considering reversing that ruling, but as of press time yesterday, no change has been made.
And until that happens, tribes like the Mohawks, Senecas and Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohicans – all of whom have an interest in building casinos around Monticello, even though their reservations are hundreds of miles away – cannot move forward.

“We’re Indians,” Staddon quipped. “We’re used to slow promises.”

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By Mid-Hudson News Network:  01-17-2010
BETHEL — U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand told local business and community leaders on Friday that she supports the creation of Indian-run casinos in Sullivan County and said she has asked Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to reverse a decision handed down by the Bush administration that such casinos be forbidden on off-reservation land.

“They serve as an economic generator for a region,” said Gillibrand, D-N.Y. “I have seen this work very productively in other parts of the state.”

She cited, specifically, the Indian-run Turning Stone Resort and Casino in Verona, N.Y., between Syracuse and Utica, calling it “a very beautiful facility.”

Gillibrand said Turning Stone “has become a magnet for visitors, for tourism and for economic growth because it is combined with a beautiful hotel, a concert hall and shops and restaurants.

Nearly a decade ago, the state Legislature and then-Gov. George Pataki approved a measure under which a total of three Indian-run casinos could be created in Ulster and Sullivan counties. Several proposals have surfaced since, but, to date, no casino has been built.

Gillibrand’s visit to Sullivan County brought to near-completion her promise to visit all 62 counties in New York by the end of her first year in office. She planned to finish the tour this weekend with visits to Chenango, Tioga and Washington counties.

Gillibrand, who lives in the Columbia County town of Greenport, was appointed to the Senate in late January 2009 to succeed Hillary Rodham Clinton, who had been chosen to serve as U.S. secretary of state. Gillibrand previously served in the House, representing New York’s 20th Congressional District, which stretches from Northern Dutchess to the Adirondacks.