We introduce New Yorkers to the Blob (or the Group or the Committee or whatever you want to call it) which is acting as your governor regarding gambling relations between the state government and the Seneca Nation of Indians in the western regions of New York State.
The elected governor, Kathy Hochul, is properly recused from all aspects of this situation due to her husband’s business ties as general counsel to Delaware North, which has gambling operations in New York.
So here, the unelected Blob, comprised of Hochul aides, decided to negotiate for a new casino in Rochester (population 210,000) with the Senecas, who already have three other casinos in the state in the much tinier burgs of Salamanca (6,000) in Cattaraugus County, Irving (3,000) in Chautauqua County and Cuba (3,000) in Allegany County and yes, there is a Cuba, N.Y.
But the Blob used a non-disclosure agreement, even though such NDAs are anathema to open government and more the province of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign or Facebook/Meta (which requires that even all visitors agree to a NDA). No one in Rochester, from the mayor on down, knew anything.
The Blob then wrote a bill amending the treaty with the Senecas, called the tribal-state compact. On Friday they gave the bill to the Legislature using a message of necessity to get around the requirement in the state Constitution that bills be printed three days before they are voted. Friday afternoon, the state Senate passed it 59-4, with one of the dissenters, Rochester Sen. Jeremy Cooney, telling the Buffalo News that he had read that Senecas were interested in Rochester.
Mind you, the Blob’s bill, emanating from the secret NDA, makes no mention of Rochester or even Monroe County, just that “the governor is authorized to amend and continue the tribal-state compact.” But, of course, there’s no governor, just the Blob.
The Assembly left Albany before taking a vote. Just as well. Springing a casino on an unsuspecting Rochester is really bad government. Too bad there’s no governor to correct this mess.
