Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks is taking a stand against gambling... at least in terms of the Seneca Indians starting a casino in her county.
A letter from Brooks to Governor Cuomo this week says that she wants to go on record in objecting to a casino if the Senecas ever decide to try and declare sovereign land in the county for a casino. The Senecas had purchased some land in Henrietta, but two months ago said they no longer planned to go forward with a proposed casino there, citing local opposition.
But Brooks says she wants to make sure she is on record opposing it in case the tribe changes its mind down the road. Brooks says she has been seeking out input from local residents.
"I've been given a lot of information but I wanted to hear directly from people and that input has really made me realize that to have a casino, a Native American casino in Monroe County at this time is just not in the best interest of the county."
Brooks says that in terms of her feeling about casinos in general, there have been some success stories, and she realizes some people do support them, but she says there also are cases where they haven’t been that successful. Brooks says the uncertainty about the long term impact on the local economy is also a factor in her objections.
The Seneca Nation issued a brief statement saying they had already outlined their position in a May letter to a county legislator. The statement goes on to say that while they feel the timing of Brooks' statement is "curious” their position remains as it was two months ago
"The Seneca Nation clearly outlined our position on potential casino expansion in a May 8 letter to Legislator Wilcox. Nothing has changed. While the timing of the County Executive's statement is curious, our position remains as it was two months ago."
