Seneca Nation President J.C. Seneca says there is growing frustration over stalled negotiations over a new gaming compact.

BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Seneca Nation is calling out New York State for failing to continue negotiations for a new gaming compact. 

“They’re showing bad faith in regards to any type of discussions that we’ve been having,” Seneca Nation President J.C. Seneca said. 

During a meeting of Seneca Nation of Indians officials and various Western New York lawmakers Wednesday afternoon, the gaming compact was top of mind.

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“I’m very frustrated,” President Seneca said. “And I’m upset about the situation, about the slow moving process, the almost stagnant process, in regards to any kind of relationship or discussions to get resolved to this compact situation.”

President Seneca says he hasn’t spoken to Gov. Kathy Hochul about the compact since August. He also maintains that the SNI has sent numerous communications to set up meetings either in WNY or elsewhere to discuss the compact, but the Governor’s Office doesn’t respond. 

The Executive Chamber fired back at the claims made by the Seneca Nation, as a spokesperson for the governor provided the following statement on the ongoing negotiations. 

“As a native Western New Yorker, Governor Hochul is committed to strengthening the government-to-government relationship between the Seneca Nation and the State of New York, which is why she invited President Seneca and other nation leaders to Albany for a wide ranging conversation earlier this year and subsequently visited the Cattaraugus Territory to issue a formal apology for the State’s past role in the operation of the Thomas Indian School and the atrocities that occurred there. The Governor is committed to doing what is best on behalf of the State and all of Western New York, and our Administration continues to act in good faith toward the Seneca Nation of Indians as we work toward an agreement on the gaming compact that is fair and serves the interests of all parties.”

Additionally, the state countered the Seneca Nation claims saying that it was the SNI that initiated a nine-month pause in negotiations while a new compact deal was drafted. 

According to the state, the Seneca Nation submitted that proposal in early August and requested the state respond by the end of August. Subsequent meetings have been held and the two sides are working to formalize a new meeting over the compact that could happen sometime in November. 

The compact fight has been ongoing since an initial deal was announced back in June 2023. At the time, that deal included a new Seneca-owned casino in the Rochester area. 

The deal fell apart after the executive chamber failed to inform Rochester lawmakers in the State Legislature about it and a last minute push to kill the deal was successful. 

Since then, the existing compact agreement expired on Dec. 31, 2023, and quarterly extensions have been enacted. 

President Seneca says things need to change in the relationship between the Nation and the state. 

“That’s what we want, that’s what we’re trying to do,” Seneca said. “In the end, if we can’t get there, certainly we’re going to have to choose another path and get try to get the result that we need in different ways.”

President Seneca continued saying, “Do we want to do that? Maybe, maybe not. It may be radical at times. Certainly, I have no qualms about going in that direction.”

The Seneca Nation President did not elaborate what he meant by radical, but went on to say he will “protect my people, to protect our sovereignty, to defend our treaties, and to do anything, anything possible, to make sure that we, the Seneca people are treated in a fair and just way.”