Oneidas, Verona build on 'community' relationship
Mar. 7, 2002

By R. PATRICK CORBETT
Observer-Dispatch

VERONA — Three years ago, the Oneida Indian Nation asked the state to remove David Reed from office as Verona town justice.

Reed gave up that job in May 1999 and ran for Verona town supervisor, a job he holds today.

More recently he has become a working partner with the Oneida Nation, Oneida Men’s Council member Brian Patterson said Thursday.

It’s the sort of evolution that makes the Oneida land-claim tunnel less murky, people at both ends of the issue say.

The Oneidas complained to the state in 1999 about Reed’s role in the Upstate Citizens for Equality, a landowner group he helped found and that the Indians call racist.

Reed since has distanced himself from the group.

While he still challenges some Oneida Indian government and business practices, he said he has come to the realization that the tribe is here to stay.

Reed said he opposed anything to do with the Oneidas after the tribe tried to sue local landowners to advance their court case. The Oneidas want reparations for 250,000 acres in Oneida and Madison counties that they say were illegally taken by the state two centuries ago.

“In the beginning I would have liked to have said, ‘Let’s uphold the Constitution and state law,’” Reed said, and throw out the land claim.

He publicly chided the state government for not enforcing sales tax laws on the Indians, and Congress for not acting to settle the claim.

But, he said Monday, “The courts have made it clear that’s not going to happen.”

“Whatever he may feel personally, his first concern is for the community,” Patterson said.

“It’s good to do business with someone who has the interests of his people and our people at heart,” he said. “Someone who treats us as equals and works with us on a government-to-government basis.”

When the town decided to put in much-needed water lines, Reed discovered that it had to get the tribe’s permission.

“There’s federal law that we have to notify the Oneida Indian Nation,” he said. “We could either ignore that and lose $1.3 million (in federal grants) or talk to them.”

Patterson said they worked it out “government to government.”

Tuesday Reed met again with Oneida Nation officials to show them plans for a proposed regional sewer system.

“With their expansion plans (for Turning Stone Casino Resort in Verona) it’s important ... to get their participation,” he said.

“I have met with the Men’s Council and every meeting has been more positive,” Reed said. “I do want to work with them when it’s for the betterment of the town of Verona.

“Some people don’t understand that, and I’ve made some enemies,” Reed said. “I tell them I don’t want to be that Japanese soldier who lived 25 years on a desert island because he didn’t know World War II was over.”

He said the land claim “has divided the town, and I’m going to do everything I can to heal us.”

Patterson is willing to wait for that healing to happen. “We want to be able to build one bridge at a time,” he said.