Stand Up for Long Island's Future Tomorrow

We've all been busy, and the Yankees are about to take their first crack at closing out the World Series, so I will make this short and sweet.  Tomorrow is Election Day, the time when all the rhetoric, the discussions, and the debates become irrelevant, and the only thing that matters is the voice of the people.

I have said throughout this experience that Long Island sits at a defining moment of history, and I truly believe this to be true.  The Lighthouse Project is on the table as something that will transform the face of Long Island and prove that we can have pockets of progressive thought while still maintaining that suburban character that lured our ancestors away from the city decades ago.  In previous decades, Long Island has slid into a decline, unable (or unwilling) to compete on an equal footing with the rest of the region, as jobs and investment fled to Westchester, Connecticut, and even New Jersey.  Some choose to accept the world as it is, saying that it is a cost of doing business, and Long Island should be most concerned with protecting this artificial and elusive concept of "suburbia."

I reject that.

I believe we have a duty to stand up not just for the world as it is, but for the world as it should be.  It is not enough to sit on the sidelines and lob grenades; we must take our role in this political process seriously and make our voices heard.

This is more than an Islanders issue.

This is a Long Island issue, and it deals with the very future of our existence.

Tomorrow, please vote your conscience.  Vote for those who endorse this vision for what we all know this special home of ours can be.  And at the end of the day, commit yourselves to working with our newly elected or re-elected officials to fulfill the promise we have all pledged to keep.

I will be back tomorrow with some election reactions, and possibly a Town of Hempstead piece.  Until then, good night, and happy voting.

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