The Catskill Chronicle

Story and photos by Carol Montana

MONTICELLO, NY (November 22, 2010) – Sullivan County Legislature Chairman Jonathan Rouis and a standing-room-only crowd welcomed Governor David Paterson, Senator Chuck Schumer, Congressman Maurice Hinchey, former Congressman Ben Gilman, New York Assemblymember Aileen Gunther, Town of Thompson Supervisor Tony Cellini, President of the Building Trades Council of New York Ed Malloy, and a host of other economic and civic development organizations to Sullivan County today.

The occasion was the historic signing of a compact between the State of New York and the Wisconsin-based Stockbridge Munsee Community Band of Mohican Indians to build a casino resort in Bridgeville.

Earlier in the day, Governor Paterson and Stockbridge Munsee Tribal Council President Kimberly Vele attended a ceremony in Madison County where they signed a land-claim settlement. “If approved by the US Department of the Interior,” said Paterson, “it will bring Sullivan County closer to its dream and its former history as a ranking site for tourism and entertainment destination.

“You’ve heard this song before,” continued the Governor, “You’ve heard about economic development and job creation that didn’t exist or didn’t get created. There were promises that weren’t kept and hopes that were not fulfilled. What makes this different is that President Vele and I will sign a compact that if ratified by the Secretary of Interior will create the kind of games and resort complex right here in Sullivan County that will bring economic development to this region.”

Paterson said that the building of a casino will create 3000 labor jobs in the process of development and 500 permanent jobs upon completion. “The estimated yield from just the building of the project is $1.3 billion and the estimated revenues to the state including Sullivan County will be $1 billion annually. In addition the Stockbridge Munsees have entered into a local service agreement with the county of Sullivan which will provide $15 million to the county every year to be shared by Town of Thompson and other centers affected by the construction of this facility.”

The Governor acknowledged that “There are hurdles still yet to climb.” But he said, “We are closer than we’ve ever been.” Those hurdles include environmental objections and other Indian tribes who want to build casinos in Sullivan County, including the St. Regis Mohawk tribe, the Oneidas, and the Seneca Indian Nation.

What made today’s compact possible is an exception to the Kempthorne Doctrine, which is named after former Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne. The ruling disallowed off-reservation casinos.

But according to Senator Chuck Schumer, who saluted the Governor and all those involved because the compact “does it in a different way … What stymied us in the past was the commutability rule that where the native tribes were located had to be within commuting distance from where the casino would be. But what they’ve done here – there’s a second exception to the rule which says that if it’s on a land claim …that you don’t need the commutability rule because it’s on actual land that has been put in trust for the Indians. And what they did today, was they exchanged land the Stockbridge Munsees had a right to in Madison County for land here on where the casino would be located. And that’s a much better path.”

Schumer said that while there’s no guarantee, “it’s more likely than it’s been in the past.” He pledged to “use whatever clout I have in Washington to get them to say yes. … I was on the phone this morning,” Schumer continued, “and I’ve already asked them (the Dept of the Interior) to move very quickly. As a New York State resident, I‘d like to see all those New York City people not go to Connecticut (no offense to anyone), not go to Atlantic City, but to come to NY, create jobs in NY and pay tax dollars in NY.” And using casino game vocabulary, he continued, “This would be an ace in the hole even in a large metropolitan area like NYC, but it’s a royal flush and four-of-a-kind combined in a job-starved area like the Catskills … I will keep the pressure up until they have signed on the dotted line and the ink is dry.”

Similar sentiments were echoed by Sullivan County Legislature Chairman Jonathan Rouis. “With Sullivan County’s unemployment rate hovering around 10%, we need the 2-3,000 construction jobs and 500 permanent jobs this project will create. We need jobs for our middle-class families who are feeling the tremendous strain from this recession and we need jobs to encourage our young people to live, work and raise the next generation in SC. … We need the economic multiplier that comes from existing SC businesses providing goods and services to the casino.”

Paterson remarked that Sullivan County has waited years for a project such as this and the the Stockbridge Munsees have “waited centuries for there to be recognition that they actually are native to New York and they didn’t leave Madison County the way the Dodgers left Brooklyn.” He thanked the tribe for dedicating “their resources to building a facility that will yield jobs, opportunity and development for this region that has been blighted for too long. It’s time for good government to become fast government and we fast track this to Washington where we hope the Secretary of the Interior will sign it.”

President of the Stockbridge Munsee Tribal Council, Kimberly Vele said it was an historic day for her tribe, gaining the “recognition that we have sought for nearly 200 years, the formal acknowledgement of our historical and cultural heritage in New York State. … The last 10 years have been a roller coaster ride filled with high expectation and deep disappointment for those who have worked so hard to restore SC as one of the country’s premiere recreational destinations.” She then called on those present to “make sure that Washington knows that our settlement will lead to the economic revitalization of the Catskills, will provide thousands of jobs in Sullivan County and millions of dollars in revenue to the state and local governments. It will also provide the tribe with the economic means necessary to protect our ancestral burial grounds, provide healthcare for members, education for our youth, the protection of our repatriated tribal artifacts, and the resources necessary for additional diverse economic development. Sullivan County is your home and it was our home for thousands of years. Our tribe has always been a faithful steward of the land and rivers. We are after all the people of the waters that are never still. We understand the importance of the Neversink River and have already undertaken programs to protect it.”

Vele then took on the issue that building a casino on the Neversink River will lead to pollution. “The site we’ve selected on the Neversink River has been used as an automobile junkyard whose runoff was polluting the river. It also had a mining operation 20 feet from the bank. Starting in 2003 we spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to remove 400 tons of material, over 1000 tires, and carried out a reclamation plan on the sand and gravel mine that led to a final closure approved by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation. We are sensitive to the environmental concerns and commit ourselves to working cooperatively to ensure the environmental health of this site for the rising generations.”

Other speakers included Congressman Maurice Hinchey who said, “A world-class resort …is a chance to bring back jobs, create new economic opportunities and attract new visitors back to this incredibly deeply beautiful place. … It’s going to generate economic growth and stimulate jobs … and I don’t know that anyone should be opposed to that.”

Assemblymember Aileen Gunther said that Sullivan County can be the tourist destination it once was. She then showed a photo of her late husband, Assemblyman Jake Gunther, who, she said, started this project about 20 years ago.

When it was his turn to speak, Town of Thompson Supervisor Tony Cellini brought a sports analogy with him. Mentioning the recent successful Monticello Central School football season, Cellini tossed a miniature football to Senator Schumer. “Governor Paterson has brought the casino game ball to us and handed it off inside the five-yard line. We are now passing it to Senator Schumer, Congressman Hinchey and President Obama to carry it over the goal line to bring 2000 immediate union jobs and 1500 permanent jobs to the Town of Thompson, Sullivan County and the State of New York. We all know you guys will score for us. Thank you on behalf of all of our unemployed neighbors, who have been desperately waiting so long for this employment opportunity.”

And Sullivan County Partnership for Economic Development Chairman, Josh Sommers, said the casino “can be the instant shot of adrenalin we very desperately need. …some would like this project to take another 10 years … the people of SC need these jobs now …”

When Paterson was asked what he would say to the assembled protestors who were holding signs that said “No casinos,” his answers was short and to the point. “Yes casinos,” he said. Paterson then went on to say that casinos are “not my thing. But the reality is that … so many new Yorkers do (go to casinos), that even though we are half the population of CA, we are just barely second to them for the biggest exporters of gamblers in this country. Because people are going to Foxwoods to Mohegan Sun to Atlantic City … and we have a $9 billion deficit … we have got to find revenues, we’re in a revenue crisis and the only way to solve a revenue crisis is to bring revenues in and that’s job creation, opportunities for people who are part of a 9% unemployment rate and that’s the reason we worked as hard as we could before the end of this term to try to find a way to get work and opportunity for the families here in Sullivan County and the whole Catskill area.”

At the conclusion of the news conference, Stockbridge Munsee Tribal Council Member Joe Miller explained how the casino would help his tribe. “We have so many service-related issues, service to our people health, education, welfare, public safety, fire, police. This will boost our economy to help us provide services to our people. This has always been about a land claim; gaming revenues have always been secondary. The claim originated in Madison County. Ancestrally we are from Albany up and down the Hudson River Valley, into Massachusetts and lower Vermont. Through forced relocations we ended up in Massachusetts and then in Madison County until we were forcibly removed from there. … It’s a very historical moment for us today. We’ve been traveling back and forth through this region for quite a number of years and met many wonderful people and we want to let them know that we want to partner with them.”

In addition to the compact, Governor Paterson announced that Empire Resorts, which runs Monticello Racino and Raceway, is planning an expansion of $100 million. “We will now help them with their expansion during this difficult period, such that they will be able to flourish as well,” said the Governor.

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