Each Thursday, we put one of our local newsmakers On The Spot.
This week: U.S. Rep. Michael Arcuri
This week's question: The Cayuga Indian Nation of New York says it will seek to have 64,000 acres of land in Cayuga and Seneca counties put into federal trust unless the counties agree to concessions that include gaming facilities. Where do you stand on the land claim issue?
The congressional district I represent is home to two land claim disputes.
In addition to the debate here in Seneca and Cayuga Counties, Oneida county faces a similar issue with the Oneida Indian Nation. Having seen that dispute divide neighbors and suffer at the hands of federal and state officials, I know how important it is to reach a local solution.
Under no circumstances will I support an open-ended land-into-trust application that is not supported by the counties and that leaves open the possibility that the Cayuga Nation may at some future date apply for additional land.
By no means should elected officials in Washington or Albany impose their idea of a fair and just settlement on the counties, nor should bureaucrats at the Department of the Interior inject themselves into the process until issues are settled locally.
During one of my first visits to Cayuga and Seneca counties, I met with local officials to ask how I could help with local land claim issues. During that meeting it was made overwhelmingly clear to me that the counties were negotiating with the tribe in an attempt to reach a settlement. At that time I offered my assistance in any way that the counties thought would be beneficial to them in their negotiations.
Factions that draw lines in the sand make reaching a settlement impossible. Too often disputes over tribal lands are played out in the courts - dragging on for years and costing both sides millions of dollars in legal fees.
A negotiated settlement that ends the long, arduous legal wrangling is the best option for all parties. The land-into-trust process is not the answer because it would create winners and losers - resulting in more litigation and more legal fees.
Years ago, I served on the negotiating team that sought to resolve the Oneida's land claim. It is crucial that we reach a negotiated, comprehensive settlement where all local parties can sit down together and find common ground.
I hope the resolution will be a compromise reached at the local level, not a decision made by a judge or government bureaucrat that does not live in Cayuga or Seneca county. That is what I believe is best for Seneca and Cayuga counties.
This week's question: The Cayuga Indian Nation of New York says it will seek to have 64,000 acres of land in Cayuga and Seneca counties put into federal trust unless the counties agree to concessions that include gaming facilities. Where do you stand on the land claim issue?
The congressional district I represent is home to two land claim disputes.
In addition to the debate here in Seneca and Cayuga Counties, Oneida county faces a similar issue with the Oneida Indian Nation. Having seen that dispute divide neighbors and suffer at the hands of federal and state officials, I know how important it is to reach a local solution.
Under no circumstances will I support an open-ended land-into-trust application that is not supported by the counties and that leaves open the possibility that the Cayuga Nation may at some future date apply for additional land.
By no means should elected officials in Washington or Albany impose their idea of a fair and just settlement on the counties, nor should bureaucrats at the Department of the Interior inject themselves into the process until issues are settled locally.
During one of my first visits to Cayuga and Seneca counties, I met with local officials to ask how I could help with local land claim issues. During that meeting it was made overwhelmingly clear to me that the counties were negotiating with the tribe in an attempt to reach a settlement. At that time I offered my assistance in any way that the counties thought would be beneficial to them in their negotiations.
Factions that draw lines in the sand make reaching a settlement impossible. Too often disputes over tribal lands are played out in the courts - dragging on for years and costing both sides millions of dollars in legal fees.
A negotiated settlement that ends the long, arduous legal wrangling is the best option for all parties. The land-into-trust process is not the answer because it would create winners and losers - resulting in more litigation and more legal fees.
Years ago, I served on the negotiating team that sought to resolve the Oneida's land claim. It is crucial that we reach a negotiated, comprehensive settlement where all local parties can sit down together and find common ground.
I hope the resolution will be a compromise reached at the local level, not a decision made by a judge or government bureaucrat that does not live in Cayuga or Seneca county. That is what I believe is best for Seneca and Cayuga counties.
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