The Seneca-Cayuga Tribe of Oklahoma and its development partner are seeking to open a large-scale, lakeside casino and convention center near a small gaming operation the tribe already operates in northeastern Oklahoma.

Paul Spicer, the chief of the Seneca-Cayugas, made a presentation to the city council of Grove, Okla., last week about the proposed project consisting of a $60 million casino, 125-room hotel, 1,600-seat convention center and three restaurants.

But Tim Lattimore, Auburn's mayor, says the tribe has not abandoned its interest in siting an even bigger $400 million casino and resort in Auburn.

“The chief is excited about what's happening in Oklahoma and he's really excited about the possibility of New York,” Lattimore said.

Lattimore said Spicer has invited local officials to the summer 2008 opening of the Grove, Okla., venture to get a picture of what the tribe and its development partner can do.

There are three possible sites in Auburn, which Lattimore declined to name, under consideration for the Seneca-Cayuga proposal. The mayor said a major goal is to seek a location in the city that would eliminate urban blight.

The mayor has sent several letters to Gov. Eliot Spitzer's office and attended Spitzer's inaugural and his State of the State address in pursuit of the gaming proposal.

“This governor is very serious about economic development,” Lattimore said. “He sees the venue as a possibility instead of losing our money to Pennsylvania.”

Besides several other Indian gaming proposals, the Mohegan Tribe of Connecticut is working on the operation of up to 3,000 slot machines at the Pocono Downs harness track in Pennsylvania.

The next step will be for representatives of the tribe's development partner, shopping mall and development magnate Thomas Wilmot Sr.'s Caywil New York, L.L.C., to meet with Spitzer, Lattimore said.

A Spitzer spokeswoman did not respond to a request for a response to Lattimore's comments.

The Seneca-Cayugas' development partner deferred comment to Spicer, but Spicer did not respond to phone calls seeking comment.

The Seneca-Cayugas argue that New York is its tribal homeland and they have every right to have sovereign land and gaming free of regulation on New York land.

But opponents counter that no tribe has successfully obtained reservation land in two different states and there is little political support for off-reservation gaming. While the Auburn City Council and the Auburn Industrial Development Authority passed measures supporting the proposal, the Cayuga County Legislature passed a measure in opposition. Both state and federal approval would be required.

The Seneca-Cayugas have a reservation in Oklahoma where their tribal ancestors moved to because of the expansion of American settlers onto American Indian land.

Spicer told the Grove City Council the tribe would pay property taxes or the equivalent amount, that the project would create 450 jobs and that it was not yet decided if the smaller casino would be kept open once the other is up, according to Oklahoma news reports.

Spicer has also promised to pay taxes on a Cayuga County project. The tribe expects such a project would employ 2,000 to 2,200 union employees at a living wage; pay $4 million in lieu of taxes in the first year, $8 million in lieu of taxes for six years and then be taxable at the complex's assessed value; pay New York sales taxes; pay 25 percent slot drop to the state; and establish a venture capital fund of $10 million.

Lattimore believes the project could flex into something more acceptable to the community.

“This could just end up being a super bingo hall, and it might not end up staying the size first reported,” Lattimore said. “I don't think anyone in this city is against bingo, if we can include all the churches and have one night of week (for each of them) and have a bingo hall. We've learned from other areas not to cannibalize existing businesses.”

Caywil New York and the Seneca-Cayugas entered into a development agreement in 2005 to construct a bingo hall-style or Las Vegas-style gaming facility in New York. Caywil was given the responsibility to supervise all aspects of the project and to help the tribe with financing. The tribe was required to create a development board with three tribal representatives to coordinate and communicate with Caywil.

In addition to the development agreement and making casino pitches first to Sennett and then Auburn last year, the tribe applied April 13, 2006, to put its 229-acre farm in Aurelius into trust for the purpose of gaming. In prior years, the tribe also pursued gaming in the Catskills.

The Cayuga Indian Nation of New York's and the Seneca-Cayuga Tribe of Oklahoma's land claim litigation was dismissed in a 2005 decision, but the two tribes, as well as the Oneida Indian Nation and other tribes with New York roots have filed for their land holdings to be taken into sovereign trust status. Spitzer is supporting an off-reservation casino in the Catskills for the St. Regis Mohawks.

Charles Mace, the chair of AIDA, said the Seneca-Cayuga proposal for Auburn has not progressed much beyond the tribe's original proposal presentation last June. He said it's a wait-and-see situation.

“I think they also have probably looked at other areas besides Auburn,” Mace said. “I'm sure that the Indian nation is lobbying Albany themselves.”

Staff writer Amaris Elliott-Engel can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 282 or at amaris.elliot-engel@lee.net