Greetings,
I hope this message finds you well. The weather is warm and gayëtwahsö’ (Planting season) has begun. I hope that you can start and tend a garden this growing season. Congratulations to Zed Williams of the Cattaraugus Territory for being afforded the opportunity to show off his football skills for the Buffalo Bills. Zed tried out for both linebacker and tight end at the Bills rookie minicamp.
Casino Compact
Negotiations are ongoing and we continue to make progress on the compact negotiations with New York State. In addition to our weekly drafting meetings, during the week of May 6th, we held an in-person meeting with the Governor’s negotiating team in Western New York. At present, we are waiting on the State’s team to share their comments on all the non-financial provisions that are still open. We also have made some progress on the proposed financial provisions of the compact, while continuing to educate the State team members both about what federal law requires and what we believe to be a fair and equitable compact. I will continue to keep everyone informed as to the status and progress of the compact negotiations as more information becomes available.
Law Enforcement Referendum
At April’s Regular Session of Council, the Council passed a resolution to hold a law enforcement referendum on July 12, 2024. The purpose of this referendum is to determine whether the Seneca people support the creation and operation of a Seneca Nation police department. More recently, at the May Regular Session of Council, the Council certified two referendum questions to be placed before Seneca voters at the July 12th referendum. The referendum questions, a schedule of the public meetings, and a timeline for the publication of informational materials will be available on all Seneca Nation social media accounts and via direct mailers beginning with this edition of the Newsletter.
Opioid Crisis
The Seneca Nation Executives and Councillors recently released a special edition of the Newsletter to specifically address the Opioid Crisis. Illegal drug activity is robbing us of bright futures, jeopardizing Senecas of every age, and endangering our safety, our health, and our way of life. As a Nation and as a community, our greatest defense against opioids are education and resources. For more information, please visit: sninews.org/category/opioid-crisis-special-edition/.
Health System
On April 30th, Seneca Nation Health System (SNHS) identified issues impacting our network. Upon discovery, we disconnected the network, and promptly engaged third-party experts to investigate the incident. Our staff will continue to provide services to the best of their ability with the limited resources available to them. If you have an appointment, please arrive early, and understand some services may be affected by the network outage. While the electronic medical record system is down – reminders for appointments, health history, our current schedule and scheduling future appointments are unavailable. Once the system is restored, we will contact any patients who missed their appointments or who were unable to be seen and reschedule them. An article further detailing this event is included in this edition of the Newsletter.
Seneca Nation’s Oldest Member Passes
The Seneca Nation’s oldest living member, William “Bill” Hoag, 103, recently passed. William was born March 30, 1921, to Arthur and Isabelle Hoag in Salamanca, NY. Bill attended Cornell University and graduated from Tri-State University in 1943 with a degree in civil engineering. Upon graduating, he moved to Seattle, Washington where he worked for The Boeing Company for 40 years. Bill was married to Florence N. Hoag for over 60 years. Bill was predeceased by his sisters Pauline Jamison, Lois Hoag, Henrietta Guilfoyle and brothers Robert Hoag and Leo Hoag. Bill lived in Lake Sammamish, Washington for 70 years. Bill passed away on March 20, 2024.
Seneca Nation Training & Employment Resource Center
The Seneca Nation Training & Employment Resource Center recently held its construction technology program graduation at the Seneca Fire Hall in the Cattaraugus Territory on Friday, April 26, 2024. This was the 23rd cohort since its inception in 2015. There was a total of 5 graduates, however, 1 graduate did not attend as she was preparing for entrance into the Laborer’s Union. During the cohort they worked on several projects at Highbank’s and made three sheds as part of their hands on instruction. They obtained certifications from Erie 2 BOCES in the basics of carpentry, plumbing, and electrical. They also received instruction on the basics of masonry from our longtime instructor, Duane “Jim” Ray. They also received certifications from Cahill Tech, Inc. for scaffolding, flagging, forklift, slips, trips, and falls, and confined space training. The 24th cohort began on Monday, May 6th with 14 participants.
In closing, I wanted to take a moment to recognize our nurses, teachers and emergency medical services providers for all that you do. Nya:weh!
Respectfully,
Ricky L. Armstrong, Sr., President
