Indian Time - A Voice from the Eastern Door

Editor,

I read the other day in the Observer, “Double Digit Tax Hike Possible”. One of the factors leading to the proposed tax increase is, according to Town Supervisor Joe Gray…“no revenue from casino gaming compact monies…” That is the view from his side of the fence. The actual reason for that is the State government of NY has failed (no surprise) to guarantee the exclusivity of Mohawk gaming in a 7 county wide area as per the State/Tribal Gaming compact agreed to by NY’s governor and Tribal representatives.

In reality, that is no big deal, there is an easy fix that Gray and Mayor Hidey can contribute to. It is a political/diplomatic solution and will certainly test the gastrointestinal fortitude of said Massena reps.

It is obvious that Massena cannot afford all the lands it is responsible for and all the services due their taxpayers. So, the rational thing to do is to cut costs, limit liabilities and not raise taxes on a population still reeling from the recession and the recent outsourcing of jobs by Alcoa.

There is not one reason that prevents the Tribal government from paying directly St. Lawrence County or the Town of Massena what the state would allocate if the Casino payments were still being made. We all suffer when the State refuses to up-hold their end of agreements.

The fix. St. Lawrence county and the Town of Massena claim possession to hundreds of acres of land, not being used, and it is draining the finances of the county and town. Lands that are rightfully the property of the St. Regis Mohawk Indians.

A seasoned diplomat or politician from Massena would enter into negotiations with the Mohawk Tribe to open the way for cutting out the Middle Man (NY State) in the casino compact agreement and allowing direct payments be made to Massena and St. Lawrence county. In return, Massena and St. Lawrence County would agree to return X amount of acres, from the disputed land claim areas, to the Mohawk Tribe. Or, Massena would work with the Mohawks in convincing the NY Power Authority to sign over 3.5 Mega Watts of power from the Robert Moses Power Dam annually to the Tribal government for economic development purposes, cheap power.

Or, Massena can guarantee that Alcoa, and RACER for that matter, go above and beyond EPA standards when cleaning up the environmental mess they made over the past 100 years.

The options are virtually endless, all it takes is a Massena based diplomat and a forward thinking Tribal leadership to take advantage of the doors that swung open during this fiscal crisis caused by the NY Governor’s inability to uphold valid agreements with the Mohawk nation.

Ray Cook,

Mohawk tribal member and Louisville (Mohawk territory) Resident