Nassau County Presiding Officer, Norma L Gonsalves, holds a second title – Chair of the Nassau County Minority Affairs Committee. But you would not have guessed it as she channeled Peter Schmitt (the previous Presiding Officer who died in office) and held the party line on Gerrymandering with obvious glee and episodic outbursts of disdain toward her Democratic colleagues on the Legislature.

Nassau county residents turned out in great numbers to both witness and voice unanimous disapproval of the Republican actions and maps, maps that move more than 350,000 residents into new legislative districts while successfully cracking, packing and stacking democrats (and minorities) into eight (8) LDs. Maps that Republicans hope will guarantee them a super majority in the Nassau County Legislature.

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Another year and another promise for Belmont Park.  How many promises for Economic Development in Elmont and Belmont have we listen to?  Now they tell us a soccer stadium will be built for 400 million dollars from a once forgotten soccer team and once bankrupt soccer league.  Ironically, the same 400 million dollars Ed Mangano wanted the tax payers to pay for a bond to build the coliseum.

Let's start; first it was VLT's for jobs at Belmont. Remember that rally? We had County Executive Ed Mangano and other elected officials leading the chant at Belmont Park. But the VLT's went to Queens and don't forget Elmont was to get money from the VLT's in Queens, I guess they forgot the money part.

Next it was the Shinnecocks and a possible hotel and casino. Elmont community leaders made good friends with the Shinnecock nation and were hopeful a casino would come. We were told that the nation needed money so Michael a billionaire from Detroit was introduced to the community. He showed us a drawing of a Disney land that was to come to Elmont all funded by him with promises of jobs and more money for everything we needed.

We were told to be quiet so that our elected officials in Albany could work out the details. Remember they were all in favor, so we stood quiet waiting and all the deals went quietly away.

Next the Islanders were coming, they needed a home, so the coliseum was going to be built at Belmont Park. I guess the elected officials forgot to tell the Islanders just how far west Elmont was, they might have stopped but ended up in Brooklyn.

Let's not talk about all the press conferences and the Supermarket that's always coming but never gets there.

Now it's a Soccer stadium, the last thing any community needs. Look at any location where a stadium exist, nothing good for a community. Even in New Jersey where they have a pro soccer team; the county has gone broke and don't walk more than two blocks from that stadium, you might not make it.

Stadiums bring people in to spend money in the stadium but not in the community. But a Stadium is only open during a season and you’re stuck with this eye sore and no money for the rest of the year.  The elected officials tell you jobs: if you want to sell beer and hot dogs during the season I guess that's a job.

What about housing for the young people? Well I guess the young people can still live in the basement while selling hot dogs at the new stadium. Or is this stadium just another lie? I sure hope so because the last thing we need is a stadium.

There are some good ideas from some bright people for economic development at Belmont. The last thing anyone should want or need is some politician selling you his idea for a brighter future and jobs.  And why is Senator Martins in the South Parking Lot at Belmont? Didn't the new redistricting lines draw him out of that part of Elmont?  Now isn't that ironic?

There is a lot of exuberant talk about a Soccer₁ Field of Dreams in Elmont but residents have been down this road before.  Fact is the last bit of premature exuberance was supported in part by this writer – The Casino.

After reading, listening and reading again I must say there is not much here to report.  A proposal (one of three) has taken on a virtual life - like Manti Te'o girl friend, and reasoned residents are taking a wait and see position.  The merits of a minor league US soccer field as an engine of sustainable economic growth is questionable.  There are many examples of failed US soccer stadiums and wildly successful sport stadiums with negligible to outright negative economic and social impact on the residential communities that surround them.

A quick search for “successful soccer stadium” returns many European

examples and mostly US news articles and fans with hopeful distant dreams.  The most obvious but not exclusive reason for this European / US disconnect is culture.  Soccer, like cricket₂ is a European sport brought to the colonies during colonialism and imperialism (1450–1950)₃.  As such, the two sports have become a part of the fabric of society in places like the Caribbean and South and Latin America.