The "Who's Better" Debate Rages On

So without any Islanders hockey on tonight and without being able to get to the practice this morning before they shipped off to Ottawa for tomorrow's game, I turned my thoughts to Islanders hockey to READ about.

While articles and blogs are great information sources, you still can't beat the power of books and the information they convey.

So check out a little info on some upcoming Islanders books that are sure to make it to every Islanders fans' bookshelves right here.

One new book already out is by Stan Fischler and Chico Resch and the other should be out next year at this time by Inside Hockey's Brad Kurtzberg.

The Lease Loop Hole & Hempstead Town's new Plan

This morning's newspaper was in the driveway soaking wet. I didn't read it, but my husband managed to. In it he found two interesting articles that he decided to show me.

The first was page A24 blip by Newsday's reporter Eden Laikin describing the provision in the Nassau County 2007 agreement with the developer that states if the County legislature doesn't vote on the lease within 120 days of being submitted, Wang can walk away from the lease without penalty. As Kate Murray has refused to rule on the rezoning requirements of the project, the lease has not been submitted yet.

However, from the press conference that Thursday afternoon in Mineola, I took away that the planning board was actually holding onto the lease to be be presented at their next scheduled meeting which should be mid October. (It was slated to be voted on the first week of October. But thanks to Kate, that didn't happen.)

So when does the clock start? How long can they hold onto the lease before submitting it to the legislature? Do we know? But it does give the Islanders an out. Not that they have anywhere to go right now.

Brooklyn and Queens, while painting a very pretty picture, are far from being ready for anything. So they really aren't a CURRENT option. They are a FUTURE option. (Perhaps a really DISTANT future option.)

On the other page he found an interesting article on pg A36 by Laura Rivera regarding the Village of Hempstead's vote to revive their downtown area. Wow! A mixed use development plan that takes up 3.7 square miles that will generate $7.1 million in revenue.

Hey Garden City! Isn't THAT on your doorstep too???

The move to ease zoning restrictions was approved by a vote of 4 - 1. The dissenting vote coming from the lone board Republican. Sound familiar?

Sigh. This is a fight that will not be without battle scars for sure.

For the video version of my NYHockeyTalk radio interview (if you can stand seeing me fidget and looking like Yoko Ono) here's the link.

The Blog Box Lives!

All of us have been asked the fated question all summer. "What's happening with the Blog Box? Are the Islanders still doing it?"

I'm very happy to say that the Blog Box is not only alive and well, but will be new and improved for the season. The Islanders lead the NHL in innovation. Don't forget that everything you see in video on all the league websites wouldn't be there if not for the platform developed by NeuLion.

The new Captain and First Mate in charge of the Blog Box and all the media are working hard to right the ship and steer it in a new direction. Certainly direction would be something new for us.

So keep on the look-out for updated blogs, a new look web-page and a few little surprises.

While the Blog Box is in it's third year, it's still one-of-a-kind. Everyone involved in it is ready to work to make it better and more entertaining for some of the most passionate and computer savvy fans in the league.

As Islanders fans we have our troubles and concerns, but we also have our hopes for the future. And while that future may be a little unclear for us right now, we have to stick together and work towards keeping this team, OUR team, here where they belong.

No matter what... it's going to be a very eventful year!

Nassau County & the Town of Hempstead Pucking around with the Lighthouse

*For anyone interested in my take on the game and 2 minutes with Matt Moulson, please check HockeyBuzz.

Aren’t you getting tired of this political game? Imagine how Charles Wang feels after have to deal with it for eight long years. Well, this time the “monkey in the middle” has just about had it.

On what should have been a day set aside simply for Hockey on Long Island, it was a day that was overshadowed by a well known deadline not being met, and the question of “what happens next?”

The Democrat candidate for ToH Supervisor, Kristen McElroy, addressed a crowd outside the Coliseum with the ominous, yet truthful statement, “Opening day should be a day of great optimism and excitement. Unfortunately, we stand here today and the future of the Islanders is unclear. And you know why? Because of Kate Murray and the Town of Hempstead.”

This is a fact that has been clear for quite a while now. McElroy continued “The reason why Kate Murray and the Town Board have dragged their feet and have continued to throw up road blocks for political reasons and are being told what to do by Joe Mondello. It’s time for that to stop and do the right thing for the Town of Hempstead and the County of Nassau residents and get the Lighthouse project done.”

Kate Murray has been playing out her political game in the media, most notably, Newsday. Kate’s most recent move of calling the developer on Friday afternoon to request a “meeting to discuss” the project showed up in the morning paper, the morning of the well known deadline for her answer. It was an eleventh hour ploy to make it look as if she is willing to work and Newsday is her soapbox.

When Charles Wang addressed the media throng, including the writer of the Newsday article, his frustration was evident but his sense of humor remains intact. The small room was packed and when he arrived, he walked right passed everyone. When the camera and news crews tried to stop him to reposition him he joked “What? I’m just trying to get to the bathroom.” Everyone in the room laughed and that broke the mood. But if he was trying to get to the bathroom, it was certainly to get sick.

“I have always said I want a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’ by this date. Now we explore all options. And that’s what we are going to do. We haven’t negotiated with anyone, and we haven’t been out there, so now we see what happens.”

When he was asked if he would meet with Kate Murray, he was thoughtful in his answer, but his message was clear. “Kate called on Friday at 3 or 4 in the afternoon and it was a pleasant conversation. When the Town Supervisor calls, you give her all the respect. I will listen. I said I would meet with her. I also said clearly that I would like to have an answer. She said she wasn’t prepared to give me an answer on the phone."

Mr. Wang also told her the conversation was off the record. It seems Ms. Murray’s idea of off-the-record is contacting our only local news outlet as if she was telling her neighbor over coffee. He beseeched her, “No more games. This is too serious and important for all of Long Island. Next thing I know, I open up the paper and there it is.”

Of course, my eyes wandered to the writer of the article to see her reaction, but I could only see the back of her head.

The idea of compromise after working with the Town for the last two years is, as Scott Rechler had called it previously, ingenuous. It is painfully obvious that Kate Murray will not make any decision on this project until after the election in November. By then, it may be too late for the Town of Hempstead.

Tom Suozzi also made his feelings known to the media while wearing his Town and Islander colors to show his support of both. “I’m very excited about the fact that the county and the developers have negotiated a lease. I think it’s very important for the future of Long Island and the future of Nassau County. And we’re going to do everything we can to make it happen.”

Sadly, that puck is no longer on Suozzi’s stick. Kate Murray is playing sumo goalie at the other end of the ice and she’s frozen the puck waiting for the whistle.

“Mr. Wang has always said that he wants to do this on Long Island, he loves Long Island and the Islanders belong on Long Island. We certainly agree with that. He has indicated that he is now going to explore other options. Now I want to continue to impress upon him how important it is for him to be here on Long Island and we in the County are going to do everything we can to make him feel welcome and we want this development to happen. We need the Town of Hempstead now to do the same thing.” I wanted to mutter, ‘Good Luck with all that, Tom.’ But thought better of it.

Mr. Suozzi let out an emphatic “NO” when asked if he was hopeful after Ms. Murray’s late afternoon phone call. “Why would you call at 4 o’clock the day before the deadline and go right to the press. It’s kind of emblematic of this entire process, that it’s more about game playing.” If that is all there is, should we have any hope at all?

“The main reason for hope is that people want this, number one. Number two is that it makes sense economically for the long term future of Long Island." He stressed that what is necessary is for residents to make their desires known to the officials in the Town of Hempstead. They are there to represent the people’s needs. I’m taking that as a call to the phones and the polls on Election Day.

He called the actions of the Town “irresponsible.” I’m certain he had other adjectives in mind.

After the first period, the NHL Commissioner, Gary Bettman addressed the press in this regard. The league has been a very strong supporter of owner Charles Wang and his vision of a mixed use development surrounding a new arena center piece for the NY Islanders.

Mr. Bettman recognized the sold-out crowd’s approval of the project, the County Executive and the Isles owner by the rousing applause they received when announced to drop the puck.

"Everyone knows what the developers have been going through to get this project done. Now it’s up to Kate Murray and the Town of Hempstead to step up. Charles is looking for an answer. Everyone knows that this arena cannot house the Islanders longer than they are required to be here. There going to have to be a change and the sooner they get on with things, the better. Obviously, we’d like to see the Lighthouse project approved. But Charles is now in the position of exploring other options. It’s been eight years. It’s about time somebody gives him an answer.”

When asked if "all options" could mean selling the team, Mr. Bettman responded “I think at this point he has to consider ALL his options. As I understand it, his options first and foremost are to see what he can do with the arena situation. We really haven’t explored in any meaningful way beyond that. I think his goal would be to keep the team, here, on Long Island. But if the Town of Hempstead continues its lack of decisiveness, he’s really just looking for a decision.”

Of course the league wants to see the franchise stay on Long Island. They are not in favor of moving franchise away from their fans, as well noted by the fight to keep the Coyotes housed in Glendale.

Could the Islanders be up for sale anytime soon? Could Blackberry Jim be thinking he’s got new prey here in Uniondale? I don’t think so. A more appropriate option would be to find a Township here on Long Island that would want the hefty tax revenue, employment and income stream the Islanders and the Lighthouse project would generate. Wouldn’t that be a kick in the pants to the Town of Hempstead if say, the Town of Oyster Bay or the Town of Babylon find a way to make it work for THEM?

Think of the political careers that would be dead in the water then.

Of course Mr. Wang jokingly said he was learning Russian to allude to the idea that maybe one of the suitors knocking at the Islanders door will be the newest owner of the Nets basketball team in Brooklyn.

Well, okay Kate. It’s your move. But remember, most of us are already keen to your game. Perhaps on Election Day, the voters will be too.

And off we GO! Opening Night!

Start of the 3rd and I'm charging the laptop because that too now has died. It's not my night for electronics is it? But it's interesting sitting here with Jim Baumbach and Eden Laiken from Newsday. So this is what happens up here. Interesting for sure. But poor Brian from The Fourth Period isn't going to be able to handle my screaming.

Okay, I'm going to go enjoy the game. Later all.

2nd period, so I go downstairs to say hi to everyone and hang out in the blog box and low and behold, within the first few minutes, JT scores his first NHL goal. I'm so glad I was down there. I screamed. Matt Moulson looked even happier than JT. It was beautiful!!!

6:35: And Mark Streit makes it 1 - 1 with a beautiful shot past MA Fluery. But then again, Big Angry Man always says "If you can't score five on 3, you shouldn't be playing the game."

11:10: And non other than Sidney Crosby makes it 1 -0. Never let sidney get near the puck. If he does, he scores.
Okay, wjy is Joel out there? He bumped Rupp and Jackman took care of things... um. . Sort of.

13:35: Matt Moulson takes a shot on MA Fluery that really should have gone in, and McKee takes a penalty. Okay, I guess this will be the MM show instead of the JT show tonight. They just congratulated Guerin on the Jumbotron. He is a good guy, and it was a good move for him. He should thank Garth.

JT back out on the ice behind the net.

15:35 Matt Moulson on his second shift with John Tavares take sa Goaltender interference penalty. Guess he's not as smart as we thought. (that's what someone up here said.)

Let's kill off this penalty. They have one more minute left.

The crowd is pumped, looks like Roloson will start in goal and Doug Weight came out to a rousing round of applause as he was introduced as the new NY Islanders Captain for 2009-2010. We finally made it people. It's John Tavares night at the Barn.

Stop Playing Games Kate!

And Charles doesn't mean the one on the ice. It seems that he was very upset over the fact that the 4 pm phone call became fodder for the press. Or should I say for Newsday. But that's all part of Kate's game. Meanwhile, Tom Suozzi feels the same way. Why has it taken so long for her to try to contact the developer? All part of the game that should end come election day.

Speaking of Election Day, Kristen McElroy was wowing the crowd outside the coliseum as she talked about the upcoming election and how important the Lighthouse project is to the area.

Has The Miracle Been Put on Ice?

That was one of the best statements that came out of yesterdays’ press conference called by Tom Suozzi and the Lighthouse developers. It was followed closely by Suozzi’s very passionate please to the Town of Hempstead of “Stop playing games!”

I will admit, I enjoy listening to Tom Suozzi speak. No one is more passionate about this project than he is. Every time I listen to him address a crowd, it makes me wish I was a Democrat, or at least a Nassau County resident. He is articulate, engaging and sincere.

The other Nassau County officials in the room yesterday, all of whom also believe in the Lighthouse project, punctuated Suozzi’s insinuated condemnation of the ToH board every chance they could. Basically, this lease agreement presented to the Nassau County Legislature puts all the pressure squarely on Kate Murray’s shoulders. There is nothing left for any other agency to do until the zoning has been decided. Yes or No is all the developers are waiting to hear and the October 3rd date still stands.

The lack of cooperation between the Town Supervisor and other branches of local government was reiterated and detailed by Suozzi. The list of stumbling blocks thrown up by the Town of Hempstead is disheartening to any Long Island resident in favor of the plan.

Most new sports arena complexes are built with public funding, this one is not. Besides, Nassau County can’t afford to pay for any portion of it. Suozzi claims the new lease will give the Lighthouse Group the entire responsibility of a new Coliseum as well as keep them there until 2030. It also gives the County a positive cash flow and will create over 100,000 jobs in the county.

“It will create a destination in Nassau County that will tell people in the entire country that Nassau County is on the move. This is a place where things are happening. This will be the most exciting catalyst of what we call “New Suburbia.” (If they can ever get it built!)

His idea is to keep 90% of Nassau County the way it is now with 10% completely re-imagined. And the Lighthouse Project is a beautiful dream from the imagination of Charles Wang that could bring the County and Long Island into the future.

“This will be a sign, especially to the private sector, that Nassau County is open for business…We now need the Town of Hempstead to move forward with what they need to do to make this project become a reality. It would be horrible if after all this hard work, after all this time, after all this money invested by the developer, after all the effort that has been put in by the people in the county and the people who LIVE here in the county if this project were not to go forward. Imagine what it would be like if a month from now or three months from now the developers decided it’s not working any more. We got a better offer somewhere else. Let’s not do this project in Nassau County. The Islanders would leave after 2015 and they wouldn’t make this massive investment into the heart of our county – SHAME ON THOSE FOLKS WHO WOULD STOP THIS PROJECT FROM GETTING DONE.”

That statement made my eyes wide, he was adamant. “By working together we can achieve a first-class, world-class arena that befitting the people of Long Island. We deserve a world class facility.”

“My ideas and my talk mean nothing unless a developer is willing to put their money where their mouth is.” And with that, Suozzi asked Charles Wang, the man who has already put $15,000,000 where his mouth is, to the podium.

He thanked everyone who has worked so diligently on this project. “I am proud to announce that the Islanders look forward to decades of success right here in their rightful home in Nassau County. And when the new Coliseum is complete, finally Islander fans will have a home arena they can be proud of and have wanted for so long.”

Mr. Wang reiterated his desire to hear a decision by October 3rd and explained that further changes to the project would only incur further delays. Scott Rechler had a better explanation “To now come out at this stage of the game and say well here are the adjustments is disingenuous. It’s basically a ‘No’ when it wasn’t done throughout the entire process when it typically IS done.” And he should know the process as he is one of Long Islanders most successful developers.

In all seriousness, the time for compromise and changes has long passed and had the Town of Hempstead spent less time procrastinating and more time reviewing, no one would be in this position. I can’t understand why it has taken so long when it’s a proven fact that Long Islanders are overwhelming in support of the project. Neither can anyone else.

The News12 anchor was the first to ask the question about possible tax breaks for the developers. Mr. Suozzi explained the lease itself contains no tax benefits, “But this project should be eligible for tax benefits. This property was specifically included in the Empire zone so we could get tax benefits to encourage development at this property. With the Empire zone arrangement, the developer gets the tax benefit and the State picks up the tax burden.” He continued saying that the project could also be eligible for other breaks that are routinely given by the County and the Town to other developments all the time.

“This property will be a NET-PLUS in tax revenues to the people of Nassau County. The County will make money, and the town and the school districts.” He said emphatically. So then what’s the question and what’s the holdup? “The town has refused to discuss throughout the entire process what they want. It’s not fair to the developers to change it now.”

Mr. Wang did say that he would take silence from Kate Murray on the 3rd as an assumption her answer is a “NO” and will open the door to new options come Monday but he was emphatic “I am committed to Long Island. I love Long Island. This is the place where the Islanders belong and we want to do something to make this great. I’ve said this over and over again, here it is. Tell me yes or no.”

After the cameras turned off and the reporters converged on the speakers, I waited to speak to Mr. Wang. Throughout this entire ordeal, he hasn’t lost his sense of humor. I asked him if he felt the NHL or Commissioner Bettman could do anything additional to help him in this fight, “Yeah, he could make sure that all the refs make the right calls so we could win the Stanley Cup.” He smiled at my reaction of surprise and those around him broke into laughter.

I asked if there were any suitors for the project already lining up at the door waiting for Monday to come, he said it wasn’t for him to comment but “We WANT to stay on Long Island. YOU know that. We just want to get this thing done. Its eight years now. It’s enough. Two years ago I asked them tell me what you want and I will tell you yes or no. It’s not so complicated!” His frustration is evident, so I went back to hockey and asked who was going to drop the puck on Saturday for the Home Opener.

“Kate I think is coming.” My mouth dropped. “Well, I invited her. I did. I swear!”

Well, Kate more than likely won’t be there but her Democrat opponent for Town Supervisor, Kristen McElroy, will be! It may already be the first week of October, but it isn’t too late to show Kate Murray that her elected position is etched in stone. There is certainly time to Rock The Vote and bring in someone new that may share Tom Suozzi’s vision of New Suburbia.

Damn! I wish I could vote in Nassau County!

*For additional information on potential tax benefits, please check Isles Official Doug's website!

Happy HOCTober People!

We actually made it! In April, I didn't think it would ever get here, but today is the first day of the new regular 2009-2010 Hockey Season.

It's also the date I get to have lunch with Tom Suozzi. Okay, not really, but since the press conference is at noon, guess I'll be eating fast food in the car driving back to work.

Interesting take that Newsday has on the lease announcement in today's paper. This whole thing is basically putting the ENTIRE project squarely in Kate Murray's hands.

Not exactly where I'd like to see it, but hell.... that's where it is now. It's all up to Kate and her flying monkeys- oppsss- town board. (Sorry. Wizard of Oz reference there.)

The lease runs until 2030 and the only thing I found interesting was the comment that the leaseholder would get revenue from parking, ticket sales and concessions in return for taking on all repairs.

Well, considering he'd be putting in a ridiculous amount of money to renovate the Coliseum, it's about time he gets the revenue from those items.

The County will get $1.5 mil in rent annually as well as for sure... TAX revenue from those sales. (Uncle Sam always gets his out of everything you buy, and the State is above the County, but it's in there.)

There's an IBC event today - that I won't be at, damn it. But sigh... I actually DO work for a living. As a matter of fact, I work for a company whose major client is Comcast Cable who just put a bid in to buy....

NBC!

WHAT THE HELL????

Okay, Later.