UNIONDALE, NY — The ink is barely dry on the lease agreement between Nassau County and Las Vegas Corporation, but the criticism is as fresh as ever for bringing a casino to the Nassau Hub. County Executive Bruce Blakeman fronted the announcement Wednesday of the $4-billion pact to ultimately build a world-class hotel, casino and entertainment space.
It’s the middle part of that equation that has angered some people, including Allison O’Brien-Silva, with the “Say No to the Casino” activist group.
“[Blakeman] had nothing to celebrate,” she told Patch. “It was just a publicist stunt to try to convince folks that this proposal is a done deal.”
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Blakeman said it is pending approval of the Nassau County Legislature, but O’Brien-Silva said there are multiple layers of “red tape” involved in the approval process, from the Town of Hempstead to the state.
So, O’Brien-Silva expressed confusion over Blakeman’s stance.
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“It is not [his] land to do with as he pleases,” she said. “The hub belongs to the taxpayers.”
The public, she said, needs to be part of the hearings to air their concerns, including quality of life, increased crime and traffic in the area.
“Why would he want to burden his constituents with the unequivocally negative impact that research shows casinos bring when they move into these communities?” O’Brien-Silva said. “I really question the rationale for this project.”
Patch attempted to get a comment from Blakeman’s, but he told reporters on Wednesday, the “historic” agreement for the luxury hotel and entertainment center “is going to be funded by the casino, and we believe that that will bring jobs, economic prosperity, tax relief and improved safety.”
However, O’Brien-Silva is “in shock” that Blakeman is “seeing the casino as a positive.”
She cites studies that casinos are designed to make slot machines as addictive as possible.
“If that’s what he wishes upon his county, he shouldn’t be sitting in that office,” she said.
The voice for “Say No to the Casino” said there are other options for Nassau Hub, “if we choose something for the betterment of everybody. Have we looked at high tech? Have we looked at renewable energy?” O’Brien-Silva said. “Look how low we’ve fallen if we think our only choice is to put a casino here.”
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