As reported by: News Northtowns Bureau
Western New York's longest-serving state senator has joined the growing chorus of officials opposed to a possible casino in Cheektowaga across the street from an elementary school.

In a letter to a casino opponent released by his office Tuesday, State Sen. Dale M. Volker, R-Depew, said a casino in the Cheektowaga-Lancaster area "would do more harm than good."

It would "negatively impact the quality of life for our families and the community as a whole," he wrote.

Volker said he is not a big supporter of gambling in New York State, but since it appears that Indian-run casinos "are here to stay," he thinks that the proposed casino belongs in Buffalo.

"The thought of placing such a facility in the Lancaster or Cheektowaga (area) is disturbing, and I will continue to voice my strong opposition," he said.

Volker expressed doubts that the Seneca Nation of Indians will end up building a casino in the Cheektowaga area.

"Frankly, many of us believe the present situation is designed by Indian representatives to get "an offer' from Buffalo for a casino site," he wrote.

Craig Miller, a spokesman for Volker, said the senator wrote the letter after receiving a petition with about 500 signatures from residents opposing the controversial site proposed for the casino - about 70 acres in the vicinity of Transit Road and Genesee Street.

The Seneca Nation has not made a final decision on where it will locate its casino. After the Senecas could not come to an agreement with Erie County Executive Joel A. Giambra over their first choice - the Buffalo Convention Center - they zeroed in on a handful of sites in Cheektowaga.

The site causing an uproar is thought to be a leading contender, in large part because the Senecas have taken out options on several pieces of property there and have met recently with Lancaster school officials about the impact of a casino on the district.

Although the casino site is located in Cheektowaga, it borders a heavily residential section of Lancaster, as well as Hillview Elementary School on Transit Road.

Tim Sherry, a Lancaster parent who is organizing the opposition to the Transit Road location for a casino, said he viewed Volker's support as crucial.

"It's important to our cause for someone of his stature" to be an ally, Sherry said.

"It shows his mettle, what he's made of," said Sherry, a leader of Citizens Opposing New Casinos on Existing Residential Neighborhoods, or CONCERN. "We're trying to encourage all elected officials to embrace the cause and take a stand on whether it is appropriate to build a casino in a residential neighborhood."

Sherry said he is asking Seneca leaders for a private meeting with two other members of his group.

"We want to explain our concerns," he said.

Last week, Assembly Majority Leader Paul A. Tokasz, D-Cheektowaga, announced that he will oppose any plan by the Senecas to build a casino on the Cheektowaga site in question, although he did not rule out supporting a casino in a different part of the town.

Opposition to the site also has been expressed by the Lancaster Town Board, the Depew and Lancaster village boards, and the Lancaster and Depew school boards.

Only the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs has the authority to approve or reject a site chosen for an Indian casino.