Oneida Indians 1.... County Cowboys 0

Got to hand it to the Indians on this one! Two Oneida Nation employees are suing State Comptroller DiNapoli and Madison County Attorney John Campanie. According to the complaint, over the past 13 yrs, Campanie has received an additional $800,000 for legal services in connection with the Oneida land claim and other county matters. He has done so by receiving the $800,000 out of the $15 million in legal fees that the State paid to a private law firm, Nixon Peabody, to represent Madison County in the Oneida land claim. The County says the arrangement had been approved and disclosed since 1998, but according to the lawsuit, state law forbids the County Attorney from obtaining any additional compensation for representing Madison County, even with the Board’s approval. Companie already receives an annual fee of $75,000 for representing the County, in addition to having a private law practice. Not clear if this includes County benefits as well! The County now wants to increase his salary to $140,000 ! No need to wonder why this war with the Indians is being dragged out! Madison Co. should remember what happened to Colonel Custer. Check out this article from the Madison County Courier http://madisoncountycourier.com/2011/04/20/county-attorney-under-fire/