ELECTION DAY

Today is Election Day! Make sure you get out and vote for Kristen McElroy for Town of Hempstead Supervisor!

Let’s Go Kristen! Clap Clap Clapclapclap

Islanders’ Lighthouse Project: Easier Said Than Done

With Election Day a week away, the Town of Hempstead supervisor battle between GOP incumbent Kate Murray and Democratic challenger Kristen McElroy has heated up. Although there has been much anticipation about a possible upset, Murray would have to lose about 15,000 votes that she received during the last election in order for McElroy to be able to pull this off.

One thing going against McElroy is that, despite being from Garden City, that is the same municipality that is up in arms against the Lighthouse Project, which would provide a new home for the New York Islanders. It is  not a secret that much of it has to do with G.C. business owners’ fear that they would lose retail business on Franklin Avenue to the new project.

Pulling out all the stops, and probably making Murray a little upset in the meantime, New York Islanders owner Charles Wang was spotted side-by-side with McElroy fielding questions from reporters at last Saturday’s Islanders-Capitals game at Nassau Coliseum.

Murray holds the cards and is obviously playing political games. Could she have asked Wang for a meeting to discuss downsizing the project just two weeks before the election just to make it look like she was extending an olive branch so she would get re-elected? That’s what I think. I really don’t know if she or the town council really wants this project approved. Any further downsizing and we’ll be staring at a re-paved parking lot with new flower planters.

What people fail to realize is that if any town board receives a proposal, they can send an applicant back as many times as they want until the plans meet their and other town departments’ requirements. In this, the re-zoning phase of approval, Murray and her constituents have had more than eight months to look through the proposal. There is no decision to date and she ensures the public that the Lighthouse Project hasn’t even taken the longest to receive approval, out of any past projects seeking it.

If Wang deep down does not want to move this team and really wants to keep them on Long Island, in that spot, Murray and the board have him in a stronghold and can make him wait as long as they want.

But Wang knows how valuable that piece of land is and how much money can be generated there just due to its location. With the Islanders’ refurbished arena just one piece of the LHP puzzle, wouldn’t it be interesting if the LHP group did strike a deal with another highly marketable area like Willets Point (Queens) or Brooklyn?

Murray could be long gone out of office once the LHP would be built and generating huge revenue in another municipality. But could you imagine how she would feel, knowing all those tax dollars got away? Then what would the leftover coliseum property look like?

If all of this falls through, the only option he would have would be to sell.

NYCEDC Calls for RFQs for Willets Point

Mr. Wang, Mr. Rechler, this is the Ghost of Islanders Future. What you see before you is a 61-acre piece of land, nearly 65% of which is controlled by NYC, just aching to be developed in such a way that is similar to how you are proposing your Lighthouse Project. It is called Willets Point in Queens, NY.

The uniqueness of the area includes easy access by just about every mode of public transportation imaginable, and one that could exist (ferry). You would have the ability to build a hotel, office buildings, retail space and a hockey arena, just as explained in the Lighthouse Project plans, but in a more easily conceivable location. There are already major highways, bridges, trains and buses in the area yearning to take people to an Islanders hockey game.

You, Mr. Wang and Mr. Rechler, hold the cards in your hands to defeat the Town of Hempstead supervisor and town council, Queens over Jack(s)-Asses. You have the power to learn from your mistakes and the mistakes of others, and make a dream a reality while accomplishing numerous goals…keeping the Islanders on Long Island, building a development like the Lighthouse Project in an area that may actually want you, and making money. The NYC Economic Development Corporation is calling for Requests for Qualification (RFQs) at this time and the deadline is December 7, 2009. Do not let this be another day of infamy. Go forth, men, and let your dreams materialize.

The DGEIS for Willets Point can be accessed via the following link: http://www.nycedc.com/ProjectsOpportunities/CurrentProjects/Queens/WilletsPointDevelopmentDistrict/Documents/WilletsPoint_FinalScope_Attachments.pdf

Rendering for proposed redevelopment at Willets Point in Queens, NY. (courtesy nycedc.com)

Wang and McElroy Together at Coliseum

Politics and Sports. Yes that has become more the norm these days with arena deals being struck for many sports in many cities across the country…except Uniondale, NY.

I was at the Islanders-Capitals game tonight and it turned out to be an odd night to say the least. The one consistency was that my wife, daughter and I watched the Islanders blow another third period lead and the Islanders watched another point go bye-bye. Too bad games aren’t just 40 minutes long.

They did almost everything they needed to do to defeat one of the league’s toughest teams. They kept the best player in the world IMO, Alex Ovechkin, in check as Radek Martinek and Sean Bergenheim pestered him with some solid physical play. They had a 2-0 lead on a shorty by Martinek and a put-back by Jeff Tambellini until 13:58 left in the third period. They killed off a 5-on-3 and a subsequent man-advantage to get momentum back. Roloson made some dynamic saves for once. Yet they still found a way to collapse.

I love this team and I love what I think it can be. I know we have to give it time and eventually it will get better. But it is so disheartening when I know they could be at least .500 right now and in the thick of the points standings. Besides, it is getting tiring watching them play two-thirds of a game.  

Now this is where the game, er, the event got weird. I was walking around between the first and second periods and just outside of Sections 307/308 Charles Wang and Kristen McElroy, Democratic candidate for Town of Hempstead Supervisor, were standing side-by-side. Photographers and reporters were huddled around the two amidst the Islanders masses who seemed more interested in getting on line for a cold one, grabbing a smoke break outside during the monsoon or on the endless line for the urinals.

Kristen McElroy fielded questions while Islanders owner Charles Wang stood by her side

While I was snapping a few cell phone pictures of the hopeful owner and the hopeful incumbent ouster, a passerby started a raucous. I didn’t know if cops would be escorting him out or news cameras were going to be filming next. He started shouting barbs at a member of the McElroy team who was passing out cardboard flyers to anyone willing to take them. ”What are you doing, mixing politics with sports? Why do you have to do this here? This is a hockey game. I’m in favor of the Lighthouse, but not mixing politics with sports.” The McElroy rep, whose name I did not get, yelled back, “This is a public place. Right?”

The cardboard flyer is in support of the entire Town of Hempstead Democratic team: Kristen McElroy for Supervisor, Anthony Rattoballi for Town Clerk, Hon. Dorothy Goosby, Jean Brett-Leach and Matthew Hynes for Town Council.

The flyer states “Vote Row A on Nov. 3rd. The Town of Hempstead Democratic Team will: Create jobs, next generation housing and a destination point by approving smart development projects such as the Lighthouse. Further revive our local economy while preserving our suburban quality of life. Fight to control escalating property taxes by eliminating patronage, abuse and speacial taxing districts. Eliminate wasteful spending by awarding Town contracts based on merit and putting a stop to sweetheart deals for the politically connected.

More power to them if they decided to reach the public at an Islanders game. You might as well use the “Cinder Block” to your advantage for something other than hockey while it’s still there.

YouTube Video Slams Hempstead Supervisor

Click on the following link if you’re looking for something to laugh at. It pokes a little fun at Town of Hempstead Supervisor Kate Murray and her GOP constituents. The mudslinging has begun, albeit late in the game.

Go Kristen McElroy!

The Lighthouse and the Election

I have started becoming more and more involved on the IslanderMania message board (www.islandermania.com) in the last week or so because I am very passionate about where the Islanders should be playing after their 2015 lease is up at the coliseum. Even though I don’t believe in stupid questions, don’t ask…I want the Islanders where they are, but obviously not in that pile of cement.

So, talk on the Lighthouse Project (LHP) thread has begun turning to the upcoming Town of Hempstead (TOH) election. Someone stated that Supervisor Kate Murray has no real shot at losing to newcomer Kristen McElroy. It really sucks if that’s the case. Reading through a few of the posts on the Community Alliance webpage (thecommunityalliance.blogspot.com) it looks like Murray, like any politician, hasn’t delivered on more then a few promises and has failed to address many TOH needs.

In 2003, Murray beat current Democratic Councilwoman Dorothy Goosby by 26,000 votes for Supervisor, about a 2:1 ratio. Of the six Town Board Councilmen, five are Republican. Goosby was one of the first Democrats in about 94 years to get a seat on the Board, back in 1999.

Democrat Kristen McElroy was plagued by health issues this year and has just begun rallying up a very steep hill to try and oust Murray. She’s in support of the LHP as it says on her website (www.mcelroyfornysenate.com) and has stated that she will push heavily for approval of the LHP re-zoning. Even if McElroy gets in, zoning approval of the LHP will still be a tough sell to the rest of the GOP-heavy board. Crazier things have happened. But for the crazy to happen, you need people to support her.

Maybe it’s time for people to forget about party lines and vote for who supports the issues at hand. Gee, what a concept.  

Wang Issues Statement About Lighthouse

I don’t know who to believe anymore. I can’t tell if Charles Wang is bluffing, serious, planting stories, or what. The IslanderMania message board was lit up today with people offering their thoughts (mostly guesses) on why or who leaked the story to the Long Island Press that the Lighthouse Project was dead. Nobody from the Lighthouse Project was anywhere to be found for comment during this time of near-panic by very loyal Islander fans. 

Charles Wang at a public hearing in August (photo via Flickr by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)

My theory is that someone leaked the story to the paper to see what reaction they would get from the public. Town of Hempstead Supervisor and Lighthouse indecision-maker Kate Murray had no knowledge that the LHP was dead. Neither did anyone else other than Michael Martino who signed his name to the article. 

This raises the question: Why wasn’t the story leaked to Newsday, the official newspaper of the Islanders? Certainly other people close to the team would have had an insight on this, right? Why would the LHP people in charge have remained in seclusion during this entire time? Maybe they were all huddling in a room together awaiting reactions from the public, hoping major media outlets would pick it up from the smaller LI Press.

Whoever put this story out there, did they think it would work in their advantage against the TOH? Don’t you think the TOH would have welcomed a story like this so they could finally say, “See? We told you so?” and called Wang’s bluff? I can’t figure out if Wang would have sent a story out like this or if he would have appointed someone to do so.

We know that business is business and land is more valuable than a hockey franchise in the long run. Business people will go to great lengths to lose money in the immediate future if it means a large return in the long run. So why wouldn’t Wang or someone close to him get the media to print such a news item? Don’t you think he’s probably trying to get the TOH to kick it in gear with the re-zoning issue? He wants to put a money-maker on that piece of asphalt, and the hockey team will not be the big money-maker there.

Look, I’m not bashing the guy. I believe that he does like hockey and loves Long Island. Remember the hockey games broadcast in Mandarin Chinese and the Chinese kids’ hockey teams coming to the coliseum? He obviously has a heart for the sport. We all know that he just didn’t expect for this LHP process to take so long and he didn’t expect that he was going lose this much money on the team.

What is the point of wasting the time and effort to go back and forth issuing statements announcing then denouncing such a story? There has to more to this and we may or may not find out in the coming weeks who started this.

However, this statement was issued by Charles B. Wang, Principal of Lighthouse Development Group and Owner of the New York Islanders, at 11:30 a.m. today:

“Yesterday’s report on the Lighthouse project which appeared in the Long Island Press is untrue. There are no plans to abandon this project which is so vital to the future of Nassau County and Long Island as a whole.

As far as the status of the Lighthouse project, we have submitted to The Town of Hempstead and Supervisor Kate Murray all the studies and required documents. A lease has been negotiated. Supervisor Murray and the Town Board need to make a decision on the zoning.

Long Island stands in this defining moment waiting for an answer. Yes or no.

Moving forward, we will not discuss any meetings in the media. Any reports of meetings should be considered untrue.

My heart is still on Long Island. I love Long Island. This is where the Islanders belong. Let’s play hockey.”

To read more in the Light Post, the official blog of the Lighthouse Project, click here.

Is the Lighthouse Going Dark?

I am in utter shock. Disbelief. Dumbfounded. Thrown for a loop.

I was just browsing the web before going to bed and couldn’t believe what I was reading. The Long Island Press reported that Charles Wang was pulling the plug on the Lighthouse Project for good. Now here I am with an hour less sleep typing again.

The Lighthouse Project may have gotten only as far as this rendering. To see the Lighthouse video, click here.

If the Long Island Press was able to scoop all the major news outlets, shame on the majors and good for Michael M. Martino, Jr., the writer. If this turns out to be true, shame on Kate Murray and the Town of Hempstead for allowing this to happen. If Wang is truly pulling the plug on the Lighthouse, I could see an ulterior motive.

Let’s see. What season is this? You guessed it. The political campaign season. Tell him what he’s won, Johnny! I can understand if Wang is using this as a move to get voters to vote Murray out of office and someone else in, like say, Kristen McElroy. Even though a lot of people in the town, including a bunch of my relatives, haven’t seen much public presence from McElroy, they have told me that they are more than prepared to not cast a vote for Murray.

I am going to be so pissed if the Islanders move off the Island. I have thought about an existence that does not include them in Nassau and I can’t bring myself to that realization.

The tradition, the banners, the close-knit organization, the die-hards, the Cups, the unique vision that could bring 19,000 permanent jobs and millions of dollars in added tax revenue could all be in the dark…just like a burned out lighthouse beacon.

For those of you who have ever brought a group of kids to a game, this could be goodbye. For all the firefighters and cops who have ever had a group outing at an Islanders game, this could be goodbye. For those of you who remember the banners being raised annually, this could be goodbye. For those of you who have ever been on the kiss-cam or had your name on the birthday board, this could be goodbye. For those of you who have enjoyed one of the most intense rivalries in all of professional sports, this could be goodbye. For those of you who have ever taken a child to their first Islanders game, this could be goodbye.

The Island cannot afford to lose this team. It cannot afford to have the Lighthouse Project go dark. We’ve all signed the petitions. We’ve been to the rallies. We’ve spoken at the town meetings. We have made our voice heard.

Now I am directing this straight to Mr. Wang. I plead with you. I understand that you have invested millions of dollars and thousands of hours on this project. I realize that you are losing millions of dollars a year by owning the team. I am asking you from the bottom of my heart (I am getting down on my good knee)…please wait until the voters come out on November 3 and show us that they want a new leader in the Town of Hempstead. This would be the perfect opportunity to garner new support for the Lighthouse from a new electee who may not be close-minded and may actually welcome positive change for the future. I know. It’s a month past the Oct. 3rd deadline, but that won’t matter since the deadline pertained to Ms. Murray.

I would love it if Wang announced that “exploring all other options” meant “options other than the current town leadership”.

Whatever you do Islanders fans, save your Islanders gear. Wear it proudly. Display it. Frame it. Cherish it.






Blogging From the I.R.

It’s official. I have joined the likes of Rick DiPietro and Franz Nielsen on the Injured Reserve. Following arthroscopic knee surgery for a torn meniscus, I have gone from the O.R. to the I.R. But one of the things I can do to keep busy is to write blog entries.

I’ve figured out a few things since Monday and started wondering if pro athletes have had similar experiences during their injury time off:

1.  If you’ve never had surgery before and you’re afraid of anesthesia, don’t be. You don’t even realize you’re being put out. Next thing you know, a nurse is waking you up telling you that you’re alive. P.S. Don’t use the phrase, “They’re putting me under.” You aren’t a sick poodle.

2.  Expect the unexpected. I walked out of the hospital pain-free, only to have the knee swell up with fluid and have to get it drained two days later.  

3.  Cherish the time alone at home because once the wife and daughter get home, all bets are off.

4.  Either watch Islanders TV on the web or DVR good movies because daytime TV sucks.

5.  Don’t feel guilty about lying on the couch with your leg elevated, because if it was someone else they wouldn’t feel guilty…and they would take advantage of you 10 times more than you would ever think of.

6.  Don’t take your blood pressure while watching the Islanders try to hold onto a third period lead. (Unless you want the nurse to say, “Gee, I didn’t know this thing could go that high.”)

7.  Take your time to check eBay for good deals on hockey jerseys. There’s no reason to spend a car payment on a Tavares jersey when it’s offered at affordable prices elsewhere.

8.  If you’re really an Islanders fan and have a lot of time on your hands, take the time to read through the Light Post (Lighthouse blog) website, watch player and coach interviews on Islanders TV and dissect Islanders stats at islanders.nhl.com

9.  Bottom line, don’t get injured and you’ll avoid all of this.

It’s bad enough my wife is calling me Tim the Tool Man Taylor from Home Improvement because every home project involves me getting hurt.  

If you’ve had past experiences getting hurt while doing home improvement projects, feel free to leave a comment here.