
Activists are calling on the City of Niagara Falls and the Seneca Nation of Indians to form a ‘cooperation task force’ that could circumvent Governor Andrew Cuomo‘s office and open direct Nation-to-City talks that move beyond the ongoing casino revenue sharing dispute that most agree is irreconcilable and without remedy.
Both the City of Niagara Falls and the Seneca Nation of Indians were defrauded of that exclusivity agreement with the State of New York, when Cuomo authorized Delaware North and Batavia Downs to operate slot machines and gaming devices west of State Route 14.

“Moving beyond that dispute, the City of Niagara Falls and the Seneca Nation of Indians should have a robust relationship, and should be able to work collaboratively on a slew of issues — from urban design, to destination marketing efforts, to economic development and workforce development,” one political observer posits.
Some imagine that a ‘cooperation task force’ could include three members of each government’s legislative body and the CEO of the Seneca Gaming Corporation, perhaps meeting on a monthly or a quarterly basis.
The task force would be unlikely to include representatives of various State bureaucracies that report to Governor Cuomo, given the vitriol that he has had towards the Seneca Nation. The task force would be intended to open up lines of Nation-to-City collaboration that circumvent the Governor’s office.

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