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Fair Elmont library board opposes VLTs at Belmont
Following a contentious debate, the Elmont Library board of trustees passed a resolution on Feb. 25, with a vote of 4-2, with one abstention, opposing Nassau OTB’s plan to house video lottery terminals at Belmont Park.
With its vote, the board joined the list of elected bodies that have rejected the proposed gambling facility. The Sewanhaka and Floral Park-Bellerose school boards and the villages of Bellerose and Floral Park have passed similar resolutions.
“The library is more than just brick and mortar,” board of trustees President Monique Hardial said before the vote. “We have to take care and look at the best interest and the welfare of our children.”
Hardial was cut off by board Vice President Patrick Nicolosi. The two trustees attempted to talk over each other, but eventually Nicolosi vocally overpowered Hardial, making clear his displeasure with her leadership on the board.
“You’re using this library as a political agenda, and I’m tired of it,” Nicolosi bellowed. “Stick to the policies of the library.”
Hardial’s concern was that if the VLTs come to Belmont, the social ills linked to gambling and alcohol will soon follow, and given the library’s proximity to the racetrack, it will have an adverse effect on the library.
“What happens is the homeless people, and the people who have nowhere to go, do you know what they do?” she asked Nicolosi. “They take refuge in the library, and that is what will happen.”
The discussion surrounding the resolution focused on the library’s mission to the community. The trustees who opposed the resolution questioned whether the library should get involved in a political issue.
“We were elected to take care of the library, not to bring community issues into the library,” Nicolosi said. “We’re here for policies for the library and finances for the library. There are people in the community who are for it and against it, and it should not be a discussion in the library.”
