Politics Now

The Seneca Nation is launching itself into Tuesday's primary with its first-ever political mailing designed to remind likely voters about its economic impact on the region and what it calls the threats to its sovereignty.

The Senecas have sent mailings—to as many as 30,000 voters in Erie and Cattaraugus counties—urging Democrats and Republicans to vote on Tuesday. The mailing does not push or pull against any particular candidate for state office, but Seneca officials did not rule that out for the November general election.

"It's our first time putting out a mailer like this getting involved in the politics of New York state in this way," said Richard Nephew, co-chairman of the Senecas' tribal council.

The mailer states that politicians in both parties want to keep voter turnout low so government decisions "can be made without fear of being held accountable."

The Senecas' chief mission is to halt the state's effort to enforce a new law ending tax-free cigarette sales by its retailers to non-Indian smokers. The matter is now in the courts, but the state's 2010 budget banks on the collection effort to help balance Albany's books.

The political mailing makes no direct reference to the tobacco dispute, but notes that the Senecas sell "commodities priced to respect family budgets."

Nephew declined to say what kind of voters or how many will get the mailings, or how much the effort will cost. The mailings say they were paid for by the Seneca Nation of Indians.

"We want people to think. We want them to out and vote, and in the future we may identify specific candidates we want them to vote for," Nephew said. He added that some of the mailings were handed out Friday to employees of Seneca businesses and vendors who do business with its casinos and other operations.

"We want them to join us and think and identify some good candidates for Western New York interests," Nephew said of the targeted audience for the mailings.

 --Tom Precious