The Senecas' stunning decision to halt casino projects

   Maybe it's just a coincidence. Maybe not.

   One day after getting bad news in a federal court decision, the Seneca Nation's gambling corporation announced it is suspending $463 million in casino expansion projects in Buffalo and Salamanca.

   The Senecas are blaming the construction halt on "various factors, including challenging economic and capital market conditions." The statement  they issued this afternoon did not blame the halt on Tuesday's federal court decision from District Judge William M. Skretny.

   About 23 hours before today's announcement, Seneca Nation treasurer Kevin Seneca told reporters that construction on the casino projects was moving forward. He said the federal court battle was "frustrating." Seneca said the Buffalo casino would create at least 1,500 new jobs.

   Skretny's decision is viewed as a big win for Citizens For A Better Buffalo, the group that is leading the court fight against a Buffalo casino.

   The judge ruled that he still considers the Buffalo casino to be an illegal gambling operation, and he directed the National Indian Gaming Commission to move forward "forthwith" with enforcement actions. So far, the gaming commission has not indicated its plans.

   Some Western New Yorkers who enjoy casinos are angry at Citizens For A Better Buffalo and its main funder, the Wendt Foundation, for trying to stop Buffalo from getting a casino.

   "Most people I know want the casino, because of the jobs it is going to create, and because going to the casino would be a fun night out for people in downtown Buffalo," said Douglas Pagano, 53, a database technician from the Town of Tonawanda. "I think it's a small minority of people who are pushing this lawsuit. Why doesn't the Wendt Foundation spend the money it's spending on this lawsuit by helping Hunter's Hope or Studio Arena or some other worthy charity?"

   Richard Lippes, an attorney for Citizens For A Better Buffalo, has heard these criticisms before. Lippes said the anti-casino group is fighting the
casino because it believes the casino would hurt Buffalo more than it would help.

   "There's never been a vote taken on whether the public wants this casino," Lippes said.
"Anyone who says they know whether the public is in favor or not is just speculating."

   What speculations do you have on the future of Buffalo's casino?

   -- Dan Herbeck and Michael Beebe

   

Comments

[WNYMind]

This is a sad day in Buffalo. Wendt and company stalled and threw up road blocks for years, now instead of having the project completed, the economic collapse of America has caught up with Buffalo.

No new jobs, no new development, no nothing.

Time to vote with your feet. There are thousands of affordable forclosure properties in sunny FL and AZ, and still lots of jobs and growth there. Gas prices are lower there, electric and heating oil is lower, food is cheaper, every thing is better.

Also, there are no people there intend on expanding human suffering in FL and AZ. So, Wendt and company can have the rubble that was once Buffalo. I hope they are proud of themselves.

PS: if you are unable to leave Buffalo, I hope you have one of the few jobs left (unless you are a Wendt lawyer or trustee).

[A. Realist]

I hope WNYMind and others that agree with his point of view , are the 1st to go to AZ or FL . Both are areas where greed and stupidity are the rule .

[tBj]

What seems almost laughable, is remembering when the City of Buffalo sued the Seneca Nation to force them to locate their casino in Buffalo. We seem to have a knack for curtailing any improvements. What a shame.

Now I wonder what the construction sites will look like for the foreseeable future.

[Mark]

If citizens for a better buffalo wanted to kill it, they should have had one of the attorneys who are on that committee do the legal work for free, not tap a foundation for it. One of the prime movers in this is the retired CEO of Hodgson Russ. And the board of directors is equally at fault for letting it happen. The problem is that those of us who give are now going to think about it twice when the next worthy cause by a non-profit comes with their hand out. We already have the other social issues and we have hundreds of impoverished people play the lottery every day. I am not sure a casino is the salvation for downtown Buffalo, but let the market decide. I am tired of people knowing what is good for the rest of us. Guys like Esmonde, Beach, and Bauerle should be screaming about tapping that foundation. I am sure the Wendts are rolling in their graves because I am sure that paying legal fees was not what their intent was when they established it.

[Not in Buffalo]

A casino benefiting a region really depends on how you define the region and how many gambling operations border that given region. I would suggest some people read the NGISC study back in 1999, gaming as whole for the country is still being determined but each individual region has either a positive or negative impact.

One thing you have to question, why would Seneca stop operations of construction when in the end it will add addditional costs to the projects. The further they wait to finish the casinos the more likely they'll incure additional costs. Something doesn't seem right on a whole with them stopping construction, maybe Seneca Corp knows something about the ruling that the public hasn't yet learned?

[WNYMind]

Greed maybe, but stupidity is something Buffalo has cornered the market on.

At least there is no doubt that Buffalo is dead now. Forbes figured it our last month and reminded the world.

Now all we can do is laugh about how pathetic Buffalo is and thank the people in Buffalo like Jackson, Kresse, Hoyt, etc... for destroying the city.

Collins is going to speak at the Repuiblican convention. I guess he is telling them how to bury a county. Brown is in Denver, if he is smart he will get a job there and clear out of Buffalo.

Yes, Buffalo is a graveyard. It is the deadest city in America, the poorest city in America, the Wicca capital of the world.

I saw a movie about Buffalo, it was one of those end of the world movies, soilent green or something like that. That is Buffalo, add some snow and pcb's.

Let's go to Love Canal for a picnic, eat some poison fish from lake erie, and cheer for the Bills in Toronto.

It is sad when Iraq has a brighter future than Buffalo, but then again, Iraq has an economy.

It is sad when people in Buffalo celebrate their demise. I guess I will see you all at the chicken wing festival clogging your arteries. I guess you will dance and sing while rome burns. Play your fiddles, celebrate your mistakes.

Enough comments for now. I will not mourn Buffalo, I will laugh at you and spread the word. Business people, leave this dump. Invest in places that deserve better. Let the Buffalo crowd eat eachother alive. Let them canabalize their young.

To the Seneca I have only one thing to say. Buffalo doesn't deserve you. You should laugh at them and know that they will suffer from poverty, disease, and blight for centuries now. They will get a taste of what their ancestors did to your people.

See you in FL and AZ, and when I do, I will do everything in my power to disempower you and drive you back to the rubble city of Buffalo.

[Glenn W]

Mark,

The market DID decide!

According to the article this has nothing to do with any of the pending legal action. This was purely a business decision on the part of the Seneca Nation.

They also suspended work in Salamanca - are you pinning that on the Wendt Foundation and Citizens For A Better Buffalo as well?

Hopefully this will help to make it more clear that the Seneca Nation never cared a bit about revitalization or job creation or any of those wonderful things they (and their supports) said that a casino would give us.

They wanted our money, pure and simple. I hope that anyone who didn't see that before can see that now...

Buffalo doesn't have that much money - let's try to keep what we have and not throw it away. If you really want to get rid of your money that badly, you can just as easily burn it in your basement (and that way you can save on fuel costs, too!)

[pat]

If those legal eagles are so conserned about the plight of Bufalo, why not donate your fees to the recreation centers , food bank,or for after school programs.  If you are so conserned for Buffalo citizens with gambling problems,repeal the liqour laws we also have alcholics in this town. Face it the more curves the so called conserned citizens of Buffalo throw out there the more money they make.  They are just raping the city of a good economic develepment. Why would anyone want to invest in this town? Many cities can build, hotels,  Bass Pro , a casino, or bridges  within 2 years, but in Buffalo it takes 20. The old money in this town plus the preservation board prevents any new money from coming in.  You can see it now hapening, our educated children are leaving for high paying jobs. After the parents retire they leave to be near there children. If they can't sell their homes,the city can have them for  back taxes, sunshine states, here they come.  Good going concerned citizens, you got what you want, a 2 class system in Buffalo,  old money and below poverty.

[DLA]

Whether you agree with the Court decision or not, you have to realize the casino, as it stands today, is illegal. If you want to blame someone, blame the State, The Senecas and the NIGC for ignoring the law.

Some of you are not aware of the correct history of events. You should read this piece: http://www.speakupwny.com/article_3756.shtml

[Ray]

Congratulations anti-Indian advocates, whatever chance Buffalo had to rejuvinate its economy and its relations with the local Native people is gone.

[Camino Reality]

Attention dear lamenters of psudo progress off the backs of the aged and poor and stolen money from churches and business. One of the oppenents of gambling is Tom Galisano.

[HippieHater]

I just moved back from Tampa because Ive noticed some of the new developments going on in this city and the casino was the one major one I liked. After finding out that the (Hippies for a Poor Buffalo) were trying to ruin Buffalos only chance of bringing back life to the city actually ticked off the Indians so much they stopped development I grinded my teeth to the gums. But in a way I like this move because this actually completed my realization that this city is NEVER going to grow, not one bit at all!!!! So here I am again starting to look for more beautiful condos on the water(yet another Pallidino project that the hippies hate to) back in Tampa. I can honestly say that Tampa has more Buffalonian transplants then the city of Buffalos population! There are 3 Buffalo bars, the Sabres v. Lightning games are 80% full of Sabre fans etc... and the city has craines up everywhere building beautiful skyrises and the jobs are a flowing. All my friends thought I was crazy for moving back and I defended myself and this city, boy what a fool i made of myself. Bye Buffalo N.Y. not even the Sabres can bail you out of this one (my crystal ball says Sabres will be in Oklahoma City by 2015)
R.I.P you hippie loving city

[pgr88]

Don't cry for the Senecas - they have gone into business with the Gov't and have a monopoly on a vice which is a guaranteed money winner.

This Casino is a PERFECT EXAMPLE of the problems with Buffalo. Special interests, in back-room deals, given monopoly status in cooperation with our heavily Democratic, central-planning style Govt., who will also have their cut.

[HippieHater]

Whos crying for the Senecas??? Im crying for the City of Buffalo as should everybody stuck in this huppie ran city because it will not go anywhere but down. What were we 8th on the Forbes list of most dying citys? Well next year we will be in the top 3 because of issues like this.

[gfunk]

we need more hippies. less conservative do nothing complainers.

[John]

I'm sure that the Senecas will clean up their site once it becomes clear that they will not be completing the casino . . . we will see how good a neighbor they are then.

[WNYMind]

Might want to update that projected completion date!

http://www.senecagamingcorporation.com/SBCC/index.cfm

[Not in Buffalo]

Sabres moving to Oklahoma City by 2015 would be awesome, I'd get to see Sabres games!

[Neil]

Just another Golden example of this area’s suicidal trajectory and it's descent from reason and logic. As was said in Forest Gump "stupid is as stupid does"- Buffalo! How's the signature bridge, water-front development, doing BTW.

[pgr88]

I'm not against gaming - but let everyone then open a casino. Why just the Senecas? Because they parlayed tax-free revenues into high powered lobbying and legal help, to allow them to buy-off the State politicians, to give them a monopoly on selling a vice? Buffalo is dying because we have a corrupt, Eastern-European-style socialist system. Don't criticize those of us who point it out. I agree - Florida and Texas do have more opportunity, because they have free economies.

[Seneca Vendors]

The Seneca Gaming group has helped support many jobs right here in Buffalo at our company and many others beyond those who are hired directly at the casinos. This group has been very professional to work with and it is a shame that they have to endure this ugly process.

[Neil]

Question for Richard Lippes: which other proposed business projects should the public vote on? May I open a doughnut shop, or a dry-cleaning store? The public votes on a business by either spending or not spending their hard-earned money at the enterprise last time I looked. This is the kind of elitist snob (we know what's best for others) attitude, that has served this community so poorly over the past half century.

[Jim Horn]

Buffalo sounds like a perfect liberal Democrat city. You get what you vote for and hope you enjoy it. Just think what the liberal Democrats can do for this nation. Wow I just can't wait. If you want to see a further preview, look at the Democratic led congress the last two years. Go for it. For me I will stay on the reservation.

[DLA]

Neil,

The people need to vote on the legalization of commercialized gambling because in order to permit it we must amend our State Constitution to permit it.

We voted to allow pari-mutuel horse-racing, the lottery, bingo, and games of chance for charitable organizations.

What I do not understand is if a casino will bring so much to the area why are we so willing to settle for just one? If all this positive economic growth comes from this why do we not amend our Constitution to permit open competition in this industry rather than just granting an exclusive franchise (which is also against our State Constitution)?

[Paul]

It is curious that the Senesca's claim soverign immunity. They have only a limited version of it since they are public and trade on the exchange that is why they file SEC documents and NOT because it is a gambling operation. So if you are hurt at the casino call your favorite lawyer!