Seneca Supers Reject Cayuga Trust Settlement

WATERLOO—The Native American Affairs Committee of the Seneca County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday (July 24) to reject the proposal to settle the Cayuga Indian Nation’s application to place land into trust.According to County Attorney Steven Getman, the committee voted 4-1 to instead propose that the Cayugas be allowed to operate a casino in the Catskills in exchange for giving up all claims to sovereign land in Seneca and Cayuga counties.The motion to reject the current proposal was made by Waterloo Supervisor Robert Shipley and was read into the record by Getman. Voting to reject the settlement were Shipley, Seneca FallsSupervisors Peter Same and Sean Anglim, and Varick Supervisor Joan Teichner. Voting “nay” was Ovid Supervisor David Dresser, the committee Chair.Board Chair Edward Barto said that the resolution as written will be taken up by the full board of supervisors at its meeting August 14. Barto said that he expected the full board to also vote to reject the settlement and instead support the Catskills casino alternative.In the meantime, Dresser said that Seneca County would continue to seek a meeting with representatives of Governor Spitzer’s staff and Cayuga County, to discuss the matter and reiterate the county’s opposition to land being taken into trust by the Cayuga Indians. The two counties currently plan a meeting with Richard Rifkin, the Governor’s land claim counsel, in mid-August, Dresser said.