Thursday, February 26, 2004
By DENISE M. CHAMPAGNE
Times Staff Writer
The Board of Supervisors Tuesday agreed to include a flier in a special edition of The Reveille Between the Lakes, which will be delivered to all homes in the county April 8. Publisher Joe Siccardi said he could circulate the leaflets for less than the $1,000 that the Indian Land Claim Committee Chairman Richard Ricci estimated it would cost to mail them.
Although yesterday's gathering was a Public Safety Committee meeting, all but one member of the board attended it and were in general agreement; Chuck Lafler of Seneca Falls was absent.
Ricci said the county needs to come up with goals to fight the land claim and should take a more offensive approach. He also believes Lake Side Trading Co., a gas station/convenience store the Cayuga Indian Nation opened in October in Seneca Falls, should be forced to abide by the law and collect taxes on sales to non-Native Americans.
Ricci said it appears Seneca County is alone in its fight, noting the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms has said it would move against the station if Gov. George Pataki orders it to. He also said a letter from Attorney General Eliot Spitzer's office indicates it won't react because there may be litigation down the road.
Ricci presented board members with a two-page letter he wrote to Pataki, Spitzer, Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, Sens. Charles Schumer and Hillary Rodham Clinton and Rep. Sherwood Boehlert, whom he refers to as the "Honorable 7."
It asks the lawmakers if they are committed to enforce a federal decision saying states have the right to collect taxes from non-Native Americans at Native American stores, or if they will let the threat of violence intimidate them.
Ricci also mentions the Oneida Indian Nation evicting 13 of its own families from reservation land and asks if the lawmakers are willing to intercede by calling for an investigation by the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs for what he calls the illegal backing of Oneida representative Ray Halbritter's actions.
In addition, Ricci asks if they support legislation that will place charitable games of chance on the same legal footing as Indian games of chance, and if they will continue to allow nations within a nation, which he says threaten national security.
"Our towns, county and state are in jeopardy," Ricci says. "Our citizens are threatened with eviction and our business community cannot compete. Special privileges, based on ethnicity, are not in keeping with our Constitution and civil rights laws.
"What we ... wonder is 'Who is looking out for us?'" Ricci said in the letter. "We anxiously await your response and consider a non-response as non-support."
Lodi Supervisor Barry O'Neill asked Ricci if he really thinks county residents don't know the issues.
"Everybody I talk to says 'What can I do about it?'" O'Neill said. "I think people know. They're not stupid."
He said Ricci regularly gives board members a lot of paperwork, which he called too thorough, and questioned how many members actually read through all of it.
Board Clerk Margaret Li disagreed, noting Seneca Falls resident Fran Wenderlich has commented the county's newsletter fails to address issues enough to stir up reactions.
"A lot of people are not educated," Li said. "If we can't win all across New York, [at least] we can win in Seneca County by boycotting stations and maybe they'll get the message not to come to Seneca County."
"The squeaky wheel gets the grease," said Romulus Supervisor David Kaiser. "Let's squeak."
Shirley Sobczak, chair of the Finger Lakes Labor Council AFL-CIO, said research has found the most effective way to communicate is with a one-page flier in large print.
O'Neill suggested Ricci get the word out by speaking to various groups, such as the Lions and Rotary clubs, particularly in the southern end of the county.
The board agreed to pare the letter down into an easily read format. Tyre Supervisor Patsy Amidon suggested including the addresses of the "Honorable 7" so residents can write them.
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Last updated on April 21, 2005