Casino$ Approved by Sully Legislature

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http://www.recordonline.com/archive/2005/02/10/webvote.htm

Sullivan Legislature OKs plan for 5 casinos

By Steve Israel
Times Herald-Record
sisrael@th-record.com

Monticello – At 5:24 p.m., as an orange sun set over the Catskill mountains, a new era dawned in Sullivan County.
The county Legislature voted 6-3 to approve Gov. George Pataki's plan for five Indian casinos. They all would be built in Sullivan.
The vote, before a standing-room-only crowd of some 300 cheering supporters and jeering opponents is the first step toward realizing the county's 40-year dream – or fear – of casino gambling.
State and national politicians also say it's the most important step. Without a "yes" vote, the state bill for five casinos could have died before it was introduced.
"This is the whole ball game right here," said state Sen. John Bonacic, R-C-Mount Hope, who will introduce the bill in Albany after he co-hosts two hearings that begin later this month.
Legislators Leni Binder, Jodi Goodman, Ron Hiatt, Greg Goldstein, Sam Wohl and Jonathan Rouis voted for the resolution to support the five-casino law. Chairman Chris Cunningham, Kathy LaBuda and Rodney Gabel voted against it. The vote came after a move by LaBuda to table the bill. That failed, 5-4, with Hiatt voting to table. He later switched his vote.
[more in Friday's Times Herald Record at:
www.th-record.com]

 

[catskilljohn]

What a freaking disaster. I have been e-mailing my distain for the casinos for a month now,I really thought it would get shot down.

 

[Big_Spinner]

Hopefully, the Nature Conservancy will step in and keep it tied up in the courts for a few years for environmental reasons.

 

[dcabarle]

Terrible. I saw this on the news last night. Basically, they said there are a few more steps needed to confirm this. One being Albany and the other, Washington D.C. That doesn't seam like too large a hurdle. I'm sure this will pass with flying colors. Before you know it, we'll have the Delaware River Casino and Resort as well as the Wagon Tracks Fish Run Casino.

 

[Future Fanatic]

Could it be that the people that are pushing for this are ONLY thinking about the local economies? Well, anything that helps, right? From all I've been hearing, these locals need all the help they can get...

John

 

[GARYB]

Is there that much Indian land in the county to build 5 gambling sites ?

 

[Mark Griffin]

Gary, Indian land is not needed. They are allowed to buy land and build in designated areas. Believe it or not, some of these tribes are from out-of-state.
"Pataki's legislation would approve land-claim settlements with the Mohawks, the Cayuga Nation of New York, the Seneca-Cayugas of Oklahoma, the Wisconsin Oneidas and the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohicans."
Two years ago Pataki said he didn't want out-of-state tribes.
"We don't negotiate with out-of-state tribes," said Pataki spokeswoman Susanne Morris, referring to the tribe with New York roots that's based in Wisconsin.
Even the NY tribes said they didn't want out-of-state tribes in the Cats. Now look what happened.

The five proposed sites are in the southeastern quad of Sullivan County-
Mamakating (Wurstboro)
Bridgeville on the Neversink River
Monticello Raceway
Kiamesha Lake
Anawana Lake

The Times Herald-Record has lots of info online-
http://www.recordonline.com/news/special_reports/casino/
You need to register to view some of the stuff.

 

[Eagle Claw]

This is affirmative action with a feather in it. Correcting the past while screwing the present.
Maybe we should give back the rest to the Brits since we took it by violence.

 

[Future Fanatic]

Go here if you'd like the Oneida Nation's take on the whole mess.

http://www.oneida-nation.net/TIME.HTML

You can read that in 1823 some left to go to Wisconsin. Just because they (and others)happen to have left NYS because their land was taken should not exclude them from the reparations made now.

These casinos are the deal to end their claim to the land that was promised and then taken. I think we should all be some what relieved that NY did not have to give it back. Look at the map below. We'd all be paying the Oneidas to fish the West Branch (well, I guess it would have solved that whole water issue). Even worse, I would be looking to bunk up with one of you.

 

[Eagle Claw]

This is extremely interesting information and it seems reasonable the focus should be on location selections rather than the right to establish casinos. My opinion was formulated on sketchy information, apologies to any Native American who may have been offended. However, this does not change my opinion that casinos should not be located in environmentaly sensitive areas.

 

[BEAMOC]

AN environmental impact statement must be done. Hopefully they have not started this yet. If I remember correctly this step is what has held up the development in Bellayre. Hopefully it will take even longer due to the magnitude of this project.

Keith