Salazar - yet to be heard from on casinos

ALBANY – Governor David Paterson has asked new Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar to approve placing land in trust so that the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe and the Stockbridge-Munsee Community, Band of Mohican Indians can both build gaming casinos in the Town of Thompson.

In a letter to Salazar, the governor asked him to revisit and withdraw the January 2008 “misguided policy” from former Secretary Dirk Kempthorne, which refused to allow land in trust for a total of 30 pending casino applications from Indian tribes around the country.

Stockbridge-Munsee President Robert Chicks said they look forward to working with the governor to win approval for Indian gaming resorts in the Catskills. “These resorts will provide tens of millions of dollars in annual revenue to New York State, revitalize the economy of Sullivan County and achieve justice that our Tribe has sought for nearly 200 years.”

Sullivan County Legislature Chairman Jonathan Rouis is maintaining his cautious optimism.

“I think this is another step in the process, now it can move to Washington and so far the federal representatives have been supportive and now more than ever we need their help to see that this gets done at Washington,” he said.

Paterson noted that in the fall 2001 after the September 11 attacks and their “devastating economic impact”, the New York State Legislature approved up to three Indian gaming casinos in the Catskills Region.  “In keeping with the intent of this legislation, the projects put forward by the Mohawks and Stockbridge-Munsee would promote economic self-sufficiency for both tribes, while breathing new life into Sullivan County’s extremely depressed economy.”