BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Members of the Seneca Indian Nation have six candidates to choose from as they elect a new president Tuesday.
With three casinos, the 8,000-member tribe is among western New York’s biggest employers, but it has a troubled relationship with the state.
The new president will take over amid a standoff over gambling rights that has stalled the Senecas’ payment of $460 million in casino proceeds to the state and cities of Buffalo, Niagara Falls and Salamanca. The Senecas say New York has violated its contract.
The candidates for president include two former Seneca presidents: Cyrus Schindler and Barry Snyder Sr., as well as Tribal Council Chairman Richard Nephew. The others are businessman Aaron Pierce, former sheriff’s deputy Cochise Redeye and Shaun Humphrey.
