Comments on Let There Be Light(house): A Dose of Reality

I still think that the LH was not a galvanizing is...

2009-11-21T18:00:10.756-05:00

I still think that the LH was not a galvanizing issue because both democrats and republicans were running campaigns that professed to be pro-lighthouse. That is what made it a total non-issue. I mean, who should you have voted for in your local election if you were pro-lighthouse??? There was nothing produced by the LH group or any other parties on that subject- if there had been, and it was done in time for the campaign pushes, I think that it could have ben made into far more of a factor than it was.

The fact of the matter is if this team continues t...

2009-11-20T18:34:06.512-05:00

The fact of the matter is if this team continues to play well and exceed expectations, possibly making a run for the playoffs, more and more fans will start showing up...Its been a while since fans were excited enough to go to games...Its still early in the season and if they keep winning, its just a matter of time before they get the attention of the masses...

Lighthouse Project studies say the Islanders are a...

2009-11-20T14:23:24.725-05:00

Lighthouse Project studies say the Islanders are a $250 million economic engine for the region. Even if that's not the exact number, the impact is pretty significant when you consider the scale of the County.

"Get something done" ? But What ? well...

2009-11-20T13:22:11.755-05:00

"Get something done" ? But What ?

well anyways I will reiterate that losing the Isles will not lower taxes obviously, but actually drive them up significantly. How much are the Isles putting in Nassau's/Hempstead's coffers? I'm sure it's a pretty penny. If that goes away, those taxes will be passed to the taxpayer. In my opinion.

That's definitely the optimistic view. A frie...

2009-11-20T12:41:17.980-05:00

That's definitely the optimistic view. A friend saw Mangano earlier this week and referenced our interview. Mangano re-iterated that "we will get something done" with the Lighthouse.

More coming, hopefully today since my whole weekend is shot.

I certainly agree that the lighthouse situation in...

2009-11-20T12:26:24.225-05:00

I certainly agree that the lighthouse situation in 2009 was not a galvanizing issue but actually rejecting the lighthouse when you can't blame Suozzi and losing the Islanders, jobs and turning the area into an asphalt jungle may be a galvanizing issue down the road.

Plus if Mangano wins and they get something done the Republicans can take all the credit. If they do not get anything done, their victory will be short lived since taxes on Long Island will still be terrible and governing is much harder than criticizing government.

Scott

Scott - excellent point, and I don't mean to b...

2009-11-20T10:50:07.377-05:00

Scott - excellent point, and I don't mean to blame Lighthouse supporters for low turnout. What I'm saying is that the Lighthouse wasn't a galvanizing issue for voters, and the Town of Hempstead's reps were all re-elected. Therefore, they have less of a reason to fear voter reprisal, since it wasn't what they feared. Your analysis is 100% correct; I'm just saying the levels of enthusiasm we saw over the summer didn't manifest in voters on election day.

505 - I've also been worried about that. I'm reserving judgment on a roadmap for the Islanders until the new year...I would hate for the wheels to fall off as the team is on the verge of something.

tigmet - fair enough. Mangano himself admitted that nobody he's spoken to wants the Islanders to leave or for the Coliseum property to remain the asphalt jungle it currently is. It would be a problem for his administration if the project isn't put through, but the Lighthouse hasn't been a decisive issue yet. Greg Peterson couldn't unseat Suozzi in 2005 by opposing it, and Suozzi couldn't keep his seat this year despite supporting it. What would change, in your view, for a project failure to cost Mangano his job?

That's sails Scott

2009-11-20T10:32:00.280-05:00

That's sails

Scott

Nick, Unfortunately voter apathy is nothing new a...

2009-11-20T10:30:15.106-05:00

Nick,

Unfortunately voter apathy is nothing new and this applies to issues way more important than hockey. Furthermore, it's hard to blame lighthouse supporters for the poor election turnout when Mangano was for the project and I thought he gave you a very good interview that gave some hope that a change of players may help everyone save face.

As for Kate Murry, Kristen McCelroy has no experiance running anything and did not tap into the lighthouse issue until it was too late and Kate Murray took the wind out of her sales by scheduling hearings and acting like she wanted the project to get done.

I do agree it is time for Islander fans to show up and support the team. They are playing well and tickets can be gotten cheap. We need to start filling the building.

Scott

The difference with this one is that if the Island...

2009-11-20T03:56:24.644-05:00

The difference with this one is that if the Islanders move, it is going to result in what we assume will be the administration of Ed Mangano having a big, big problem. He's going to be the owner of an arena now losing even more money, with no realistic hope of that ever changing; a big piece of land in the center of his county that would need to be developed; and a realization that if you just stuck houses there, you really would be putting a tremendous strain on the Uniondale schools. He'd also have to start the whole development process over. The other thing is that there really aren't that many great options for the Islanders. How many hockey-mad cities are there out there with a top-notch arena? I can think of one: Quebec, which is going to build a new arena. That's going to be a very real player in luring some team, whether it's the Islanders, Thrashers, Panthers, etc.

It's not good Nick... And the Catch-22 about i...

2009-11-20T03:07:31.439-05:00

It's not good Nick...
And the Catch-22 about it?

If the Isles continue to make a sustainable run for a playoff, it makes them more attractive to "other options".

Reminds me, in a way, of when Quebec moved to Colorado in the 90's (96? too lazy to look it up).
A buddy of mine owned a bar across the street from the now called Pepsi Center in Den. He knew absolutely nothing about hockey. But he was on some local ad hoc committee that was trying to bring the NHL to Denver.
Asked me what I knew about the Nordiques..
I said..."Holy shit, you would get what will be a Stanley Cup champ very soon, they are LOADED with talent". His eyes lit up....with dollar signs for his bar.

The rest....is history.