MADISON COUNTY B OARD

JOHN M. BECKER
Chairman
MARK SCIMONE
County Administrator
CINDY URTZ
Clerk

OF

S UPERVISORS

138 N. Court St., PO Box 635

Wampsville, NY 13163
Phone: 315/366-2201
Fax: 315/366-2502

PRESS RELEASE
February 19, 2016
We were surprised and disappointed by the timing and content of Oneida County Executive
Anthony Picentes recent flurry of letters. Those letters wrongfully accuse Madison County,
Governor Cuomo, and New York legislative leaders of being in material breach of the
Settlement Agreement entered into by and among the counties, New York State and the
Oneida Indian Nation. The alleged material breach is the consideration of proposed
legislation developed in consultation with the Governors office a year ago and introduced in
the Senate and Assembly in the spring of 2015 which seeks authorization for an agreement
between the State and Madison County. This proposed agreement recognizes that Madison
has now become a host county and provides for it to receive host county payments--as do all
other counties with gaming within their borders. The agreement would take nothing away
from Oneida County and seek no further payments from the Oneida Indian Nation. Any
payments to Madison County would come exclusively out of the States share of gaming
revenue generated in Madison County itself.
Far from violating the Settlement Agreement, this proposed legislation is fully consistent with
and authorized by that Agreement. The legislation was drafted and adopted last summer
nearly unanimously by the Assembly, but apparently was blocked by Oneida County
representatives in the Senate. Now Mr. Picente is demanding on behalf of Oneida County that
the legislative consideration of the proposed agreement must cease immediately. Mr.
Picente has no grounds to make such a demand. It is Oneida County, not Madison County or
the State, that appears to be violating the Settlement Agreement by attempting to block
reasonable legislation that responds to new gaming activities in Madison County and takes
nothing away from Oneida County. Those actions violate Oneida Countys duty of good faith
and fair dealing under the Settlement Agreement, and they further violate the dispute
resolution provisions established under the Settlement Agreement. If Oneida County believes
in good faith that other parties might be violating the Settlement Agreement, it should follow
the dispute resolution process established by the Agreement rather than making unfounded
and inflammatory allegations in the media.
We question Mr. Picentes agenda and motives. We intend to respond to his communications
in further detail.
John M. Becker, Chairman of the Board
Madison County Board of Supervisors