SALAMANCA, N.Y. — JC Seneca is officially stepping into the helm of Seneca Nation. With his family by his side, the longtime businessman and councilmember now serves as the nation's 70th president.
"Now is my time and I’m thankful for that and thankful for the opportunity," Seneca said.
On day one, he's vowing to tackle a range of issues, the first being the New York State Casino Gaming Compact.
In his first speech as President, Seneca announced that he is planning to hold community meetings surrounding updates on negotiations and garnering feedback.
"My priority is the people. Engaging with our people, getting our community together, having meetings, bring them up to date with what’s going on with the compact," Seneca said.
As Seneca steps into this new role, he's walking into two years-worth of gaming compact negotiations. Part of the deal that expired late last year, required Seneca Casino's to hand over 25% of all slot machine revenues, or “net drop,” to the state. This is an agreement that Seneca would like to see stopped.
"That’s a no-go. For me, I’m zero percent, so if it’s up to me I don’t believe the state gets any revenue," Seneca said.
In addition to the gaming compact, Seneca is also looking to secure more land for the Seneca Nation.
"We’re looking all the time for available land. We’re always looking to get back that is technically our land still," Seneca said.
But, perhaps one of the most personal issues for Seneca, who struggled with addiction, would be his stated commitment to tackling drug and alcohol addiction.
"They see in me the ability to spread that word to people that need help and I’m very willing to do that and do the best I can to help those who are suffering from addiction," said Seneca.