A resolution by the Seneca Nation Council has temporarily thrown a wrench into the agreement of payment by the nation to the New York State which has withheld during a dispute over casino revenue.
Over $800 million was to be paid back in quarterly installments after the agreement was reached last month between Nations President Matthews Pagels and Governor Kathy Hochul, easing five years of animosity between the Seneca’s and former Governor Andrew Cuomo’s administration.
But Pagels’ deal was seen as an unauthorized move by many Seneca’s who voiced their displeasure during a council session over the weekend said Mothers of Seneca Nation member Leslie Logan.
“The Seneca Nation president had not obtained council approval or authorization to proceed with the settlement agreements,” she said of the agreement with New York State. “So when it was announced on January 12 there was a lot of public uproar and opposition to this fact and the Settlement Agreement really in its entirety.”
Now the Seneca’s will wait on a review and determination on the legality of the compact by the National Indian Gaming Commission.
Should the N.I.G.C. deem the compact illegal then the Seneca’s wouldn’t be compelled to pay the money back said Let’s Talk Native Radio Host John Kane. He said previous Seneca leadership had proposed taking the dispute to the Department of the Interior.
“It's on the Seneca’s to look at what they can get from not only the Interior Department but from the National Indian Gaming Commission,” Kane said. “Their ruling or approval of the payments because frankly there may be some question about whether it's even legal for the Seneca’s to make these payments.”
A statement from Seneca Nation President Matthew Pagels reads in part the acknowledgment of the withholding of the compact money and the hope the situation be resolved quickly so the Nation can move forward with plans for the future of its gaming operations.
