Cochecton opts for no casinos

By CHARLIE BUTERBAUGH

LAKE HUNTINGTON, NY — The Cochecton Town Board will not support the campaign to bring five Indian casinos to Sullivan County.

In fact, the board governing this town of 1,300 people doesn’t want any of the five casinos proposed by Native American tribes with pending land claims against the State of New York.

“I truly don’t believe that it [Indian casinos] would be an asset to the town,” said Cochecton Supervisor Sal Indelicato at the board’s January 12 meeting.

All five board members voted for a resolution that denies support for “the establishment of any Native American owned or operated casinos in Sullivan County.” The opinion will be sent to Sullivan County Legislative Chair Chris Cunningham before the county’s nine legislators vote on Governor Pataki’s new casino proposal, which involves dedicating five Sullivan County parcels as off-reservation, sovereign Indian properties for casino development.

At other recent town board meetings, Fremont, Forestburgh and Highland passed resolutions against the plan for five Indian casinos. It all began with the late 2004 resolution passed by the Town of Delaware, and now five town boards currently oppose Pataki’s proposal.

Town boards in Thompson, Liberty, Fallsburg and Mamakating support it.

In Cochecton, Councilman Larry Richardson said he would be willing to support two casinos, but members of the board wanted to send a stronger message to the legislature.

Councilwoman Daisy Smith said, “I don’t want to see gambling at all.” Councilman Paul Peck agreed.

Sullivan legislators learned on January 7 that the county might not get any casinos if the deal for five fails. Assuming that this strong message calls for a choice between five and zero, Cochecton would opt for no casinos.

“If you vote for two [casinos], you’re really voting for five,” Indelicato said.

The board’s critical stance on Indian casinos is based on the potential growth in population, traffic and crime that could result from the development of this industry in Sullivan County, according to the January 12 resolution. Further, owners of the five casinos would not be legally required to pay their “fair share of county and local taxes,” the resolution states, and the impacts will not be fully understood until after the casinos are built.