SRMT: Land is the most important thing

Yesterday, the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe held a press conference about their recent negotiations with Governor Cuomo. In basic terms, a Memorandum of Understanding was agreed upon in which the tribe will immediately pay New York State half of the monies it has owed since 2010, which is 30 million dollars. In return, the State guarantees that the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe will retain their zone of exclusivity, which includes Franklin, St. Lawrence, Clinton, Essex, Hamilton, Jefferson, Lewis and Warren Counties.

The tribe will also start paying the regular payments of 25% of slot machine revenues to the state. This MOU is also an agreement to further negotiate in the near future.

The Tribal Council made it clear, the most important thing to them is land and expanding the land base, or as ICTMN’s Ray Cook refined it, “Reclaiming ancestral territory.” Chief Paul Thompson said, “Money is secondary,” and Chief LaFrance echoed his sentiment with, “We are here till the end of time, land is forever.” The tribe explained that the population has and is rising rapidly. They said they understand that hundreds live off the reservation because there is not enough land and housing for them here. Which is why at the very start of the talks with Cuomo, the 2005 Land Claim was put on the table. Chief Ron LaFrance said that the Governor thought that was pushing really hard and described Cuomo as tough and a hard negotiator, but he also believes the Governor wants to get a deal done. Chief Paul Thompson sensed sincerity on the part of Cuomo, and that he is looking to resolve these issues.

Questions were asked about the recent Oneida deal and if there will be tobacco tax in any part of the negotiations. It was simply put that, “We are Mohawks, not Oneida.” There is no talk of tobacco or fuel tax and Chief LaFrance also directed questions about Ganienkeh gaming to the Governor.

There will be new talks in Albany within ten days and Randy Hart explained that the Governor promised the talks will be with the Governor himself. Chief Hart also explained that the reason he was not in Albany is his belief that there should always be a tribal leader in the community at all times to ensure the safety of the community is maintained.

There will be community meetings shortly on these issues and the tribe announced their intention to remain completely open throughout the whole process. In regards to the Tri-council concept it was said, “We continue to meet, we realize we don’t stand in Akwesasne alone.” Chief Hart explained that the 2005 land claims were agreed upon by everyone with referendum, but if the new agreement were to get too far from that agreement, there would be another referendum.

The following is a press release from the tribe:

Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe and New York State Reach a Resolution of Revenue Sharing Dispute

Akwesasne Territory -- The Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe announced that they reached a Memorandum of Understanding with Governor Andrew M. Cuomo of the State of New York that is the first step to addressing longstanding land claims with Franklin and St. Lawrence Counties, outstanding issues with the New York Power Authority and resolve the Revenue Sharing Dispute with New York State.

“We’ve waited many years for a governor who was willing to sit down with all the parties to the land claim to come to a negotiated settlement.  Governor Cuomo has accomplished much in the short time we’ve been meeting directly with him.  He has given us assurances that our outstanding issues will be dealt with fairly,” said Chief Ron LaFrance, Jr.  Part of the Memorandum of Understanding requires that the tribe release a portion of the amount that it has held in a restricted account since they began withholding payments to the state in 2010, in response to an unauthorized gaming operation located near Plattsburgh, NY, within the tribe’s zone of exclusivity, which includes Franklin, St. Lawrence, Clinton, Essex, Hamilton, Jefferson, Lewis and Warren Counties.  The Memorandum of Understanding will guarantee that the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe will retain their exclusive authorization to operate slot machines within this zone, and the legislation proposed by the governor to authorize casino gaming in the remainder of the state will exclude the tribe’s zone.   

Chief Randy Hart, who was not in Albany today for the signing of the historic agreement, stated, “Last week, when Governor Cuomo reached out to the Mohawk leadership to discuss revenue sharing, we saw this as an opportunity to reopen discussions on settlement of our claims.  To our surprise, the governor accepted the challenge.  Our claims have been in the courts of the United States for over thirty years.  This is the first time since 2007, that New York State has been willing to sit down and talk settlement.  We are optimistic that, with his commitment and with all of the parties at the table, we can make real progress.”

 “Governor Cuomo has shown the Mohawk leadership that he is sincere in his commitment to bringing all of the parties, including St. Lawrence and Franklin County, and the New York Power Authority together, to resolve our outstanding claims, in a manner that is beneficial and fair to all.  For the counties and the Power Authority, a negotiated settlement will bring finality and the beginning of a new relationship with the tribe.  We look forward to working together on these, and other matters of significance to the tribe and to our neighbors,” said Chief Paul Thompson.  Chief Thompson, who signed an agreement with Governor Pataki in 2003 that was to resolve many of these same issues feels, “This governor has the ability to make things happen.  We believe it is about time that the state follows through on the promises made to the Mohawks in 2003, and later with the signing of the Land Claim Settlement Agreement.  We thank Governor Cuomo for agreeing to help make that happen.”