Evidence Three

WEDNESDAY, MAY 16, 2007

Mercury Public Affairs clients worked against a Seneca casino in Buffalo (NY)

Another case of a Mercury Public Affairs client seeking to block the expansion of a tribe's gaming opportunities.

• Blocking Tribal Casinos in Buffalo, NY and Oregon
Mercury represents the Buffalo Niagra Partnership: a business group seeking to turn around the economic fortunes of Erie County, New York.

The Partnership opposes a Seneca Indian Nation casino in Buffalo. Here's their stated position:



"The Buffalo Niagara Partnership opposes a Seneca casino anywhere within the Buffalo central business district and remains skeptical of the benefit of a second Seneca casino anywhere in Erie County."


Mercury previously was involved in efforts to block a casino bid by the Warm Springs Indiansof Oregon.

• Promoting an Indian Casino in The Hamptons (Long Island)
On the other hand, Mercury Public Affairs has been retained to lobby for the Shinnecock Indian Nation's Gaming Authority in New York and in 2005 & 2006 was paid $240,000 per year for representation.

Four partners at Mercury Public Affairs (Kieran V. Mahoney; Kirill Goncharenko; Gregory E. Strimple & Michael F. McKeon) joined other Shinnecock Indian Nation advocates and contributed $13,000 to Congressman Richard Pombo's RICH PAC on December 7, 2005. Pombo at the time was chair of the House Resources Committee overseeing Indian Affairs and Indian Gaming matters. The Mercury partners made few other federal contributions in 2005-06.

There are no records filed with the Secretary of the U.S. Senate to suggest Mercury Public Affairs represented the Shinnecock Indians nor any other affiliates of the Shinnecock financial backers in D.C.; although Mahoney and Goncharenko were registered as lobbyists in D.C. for other clients.