The Next Steps - Seeking The Tipping Point

I have been hinting about the steps that are still to come in the Lighthouse process, so I think this is a great time to take a step back and actually run through that process in-depth.

First, as always, some housekeeping:

Light Rail Rears its (Garden City-Destroying) Head

I mentioned last week that many residents of Garden City oppose the Lighthouse due to the possibility that a light rail will be constructed on the pre-existing tracks that the circus uses to transport animals to the Coliseum. I mentioned at the time that no such proposal currently exists, but that might be changing. BD Gallof attended Thursday's meeting and took videos, and if you watch Dave Denenberg's speech you hear what seems to be a commitment to fold light rail into the Lighthouse as it is. Expect more on this - from my view, tying the Lighthouse to a specific transportation solution is a big mistake, because it creates the illusion that the project could not succeed without that particular solution. I hope they table the specifics of a solution until the project is approved.

Also - the Garden City-destroying part is tongue-in-cheek. Many people at last week's Garden City meeting insisted Light Rail would destroy their village, and that is where the line came from.

(Blogger's Note: I've said this before - I lived next to a light rail system for 3 years, and it never once burdened my quality of life. Never. Once.)

Someone (Suozzi) Finally Said It

Tom Suozzi gave an expansive interview to Greg Logan of Newsday this past Friday, in which he strongly advocated for the Lighthouse and touched on many important themes. Buried within the interview were two very important gems:

First, those who fear the death of the suburban concept can calm down. Tom Suozzi re-iterated his points from the March meeting, saying 90% of Nassau County, including single-family homes and waterfront areas, should remain exactly as it is. The other 10% can and should be re-developed in a smart way that addresses the problems we face. The Lighthouse is aiming to be a part of that solution.

Second, he finally said what I've been saying for months - the final project will not look exactly like the renderings. Nobody enters into a negotiation asking for the bare minimum with which he/she can live; it is up to both sides to discuss the Lighthouse and reach a mutually-agreeable solution on its final form.

Now, on to our regularly-scheduled post:

The Remaining Steps

As I pointed out last week, the process has not yet moved forward despite the positive noises emanating from all sides. We are still currently mired in the Town of Hempstead's review of the Draft Generic Environmental Impact Statement (DGEIS), and we hope to move out of that by the beginning of July.

I have mentioned the remaining steps before, and the handy graphic on the side of this site makes it easy to see what needs to be done, but I realized I never took the time to explain exactly what each step meant. We're doing just that, right now:

Public Review and Comment

Who's in Charge: Town of Hempstead.

Degree of Difficulty: Medium - High.

What Happens: Public Review and Comment is a key step of the SEQR process. It gives the public and various stakeholders an opportunity to examine the DGEIS, point out issues, and ask for/suggest remediations. SEQRA is very clear that this stage should be instrumental to the eventual Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS), so the opportunity for public contributions is expansive. There will be at least two public hearings where citizens can go to Town Hall and speak about the project, and there is also a mandatory write-in period, lasting 30-60 days, in which citizens can formally write to the Town of Hempstead with their opinions and concerns.

This is the last chance for organized opposition to emerge, and it is imperative that everyone who can make it to a hearing comes with friends and neighbors.

Final Scope and EIS

Who's in Charge: Town of Hempstead

Degree of Difficulty: Medium-High

What Happens: The Town of Hempstead negotiates with both the Lighthouse and Nassau County to determine the exact scope of the Lighthouse. This is where the exact number of apartments and the exact dimensions of the hotel, convention center, retail space, etc. are determined, if they are included in the final plans. The Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) is then prepared to match this scope, discussing the precise anticipated impact of the development.

Don Clavin from the Town of Hempstead likes to say that this is where both sides will meet in the middle, but this could be a very painful process if each side has a different definition of the middle. This is also the reason all the people saying Charles Wang should pre-emptively scale down the Lighthouse are misguided. That is meant to happen during an active negotiation period.

Mini Step: The Town of Hempstead would then rule on accepting the Final Environmental Impact Statement. In other words, the Town of Hempstead, as Lead Agency, determined the FEIS to be both complete and correct, satisfying the legal requirements under SEQRA. This does not imply approval of the final project.

Approval of Sub-Divisions

Who's in Charge: Nassau County Planning Commission.

Degree of Difficulty: Low.

What Happens: The Nassau County Planning Commission signs off on the exact location of each component of the Lighthouse Project (e.g. Sports Technology Center in Location X, Convention Center in Location Y, etc.). The Planning Commission is staunchly in favor of the Lighthouse, and they have been included in the process from the beginning. Expect this to be a relatively quick step.

Approval of Re-Zoning

Who's in Charge: Town of Hempstead

Degree of Difficulty: Medium-High

What Happens: The Town of Hempstead votes on whether to approve a re-zoning for the Coliseum property, in order to clear the way for construction to begin. It is debatable how difficult this will be, since in theory the Town would have negotiated a final scope that it would be willing to approve. However, you can not take anything for granted until it has happened.

As the title suggests, this is the Tipping Point. You can take this to the bank: If the Town of Hempstead approves re-zoning, the Lighthouse will happen.

Lease Negotiations

Who's in Charge: Nassau County - County Executive and County Legislature.

Degree of Difficulty: Low-Medium.

What Happens: Nassau County, the landowner that originally conceived of the Lighthouse concept, negotiates lease terms with the Lighthouse developers. This process has been moving forward in parallel with the environmental review, and I expect it to be done relatively quickly. Nassau County is firmly behind the project, and both sides will work out a mutually-agreeable solution on a property currently losing county taxpayers millions of dollars per year.

Building Permits Hearing

Who's in Charge: Town of Hempstead

Degree of Difficulty: Low-Medium

What Happens: The Town of Hempstead grants building permits for the Lighthouse site. This will be done in phases, since the project will be built over a period of 10 years. The first step is a permit to proceed with Coliseum renovations, and this process will need to repeat itself each time a new phase is to be built.

Unless something changes, expect this process to be relatively painless. Remember, at this point the Town of Hempstead would have already approved the Lighthouse

Shovels in the Ground

Ground-breaking, where we all celebrate and I follow through on my promise to bring a few bottles of Dom Perignon.

Bottom Line

As you can see, the recent meetings have not changed the fact that a lot of work is left to be done. The goal, if all goes according to plan, is to break ground on the Coliseum renovations next summer. As I have said before, construction is planned to proceed over a period of 10 years, easing the community into a new reality and providing ample opportunity to provide lasting solutions in transportation, water, sewage, and other inevitable issues.

As citizens, we need to keep up our active participation in this process. We have helped guide big steps forward by unleashing but a fraction of what we can accomplish. Our movement needs to grow so we can be Malcolm Gladwell's "Connectors," people who link others up with the world.

If we focus our efforts, contribute to the public's education, and get our message out there, we can help bring about The Tipping Point and bring Long Island's future a little closer to reality.

Please share your thoughts in comments. Petition. Email Me. Follow me on Twitter.

Always Watch the Graphic

There is suddenly a lot to talk about with the Lighthouse and Islanders Country as a whole. Let's get right to it:

RIP Roy Boe

Roy Boe, the original owner of the New York Islanders, passed away on Sunday at the age of 79. He always deserves to be remembered as the man who brought major league sports to Long Island, and a man whose imagination was bigger than his checkbook. He will be missed.

No Charles Wang/Mike Francesa Update

Charles Wang's indefinitely postponed interview with Mike Francesa has not yet been re-scheduled. I will provide updated information as soon as I receive it.

Lighthouse to Update Nassau County on Thursday

The Lighthouse group will stop by the Nassau County Legislative Chamber (1550 Franklin Avenue, Mineola, NY) this Thursday to give an update to the Nassau County Planning Commission. This is a check-point from the County's perspective and yet more proof that the necessary work has been proceeding in parallel.

This meeting is scheduled to begin at 6:30 PM, and it is open to the public. Charles Wang and Tom Suozzi are both expected to be in attendance

Newsday Editorial Board Shares My Caution

The Newsday Editorial Board released an opinion today discussing the important steps forward in Friday's meeting, but they also presented an even-handed view of the overall scenario. They acknowledge that many people are concerned that Kate Murray's new policy of openness is conveniently timed for the coming election and may wane afterwards. I share this concern, and I hope the Town of Hempstead's positive signals continue and prove that this is more than just electoral posturing.

While I agree with this editorial, I do have to take issue with one bit of wording here. The Editorial Board again pushes the classic meme by claiming the Town of Hempstead moved the Lighthouse process forward due to pressure from "Islanders fans and labor unions." I won't deny that many pro-Lighthouse voters are Islanders fans, and I also can't deny that organized labor has been strongly in favor of the Lighthouse since union workers will be employed in the construction. However, we need to take a more expansive view here. The Lighthouse is an important project for the future of all Long Island, and it needs to be spoken of in that expansive way rather than through the narrow lenses of hockey and labor.

An Important Roadmap for Progress

Chris Botta had an interesting revelation on Islanders Point Blank yesterday - there was a second Lighthouse meeting on Friday, out of the view of the news cameras. Jeff Forcelli (counsel to Tom Suozzi), Joe Ra (Hempstead Town Attorney), Michael Picker (Lighthouse President), and Terri Elkowitz (Lighthouse SEQRA Expert) all sat down at the county seat to discuss next steps. This is the strongest signal yet that all sides may have finally made peace and that the good feelings may have been more than a photo-op.

Hearing about this meeting makes me more confident that we will see public hearings this summer and some substantive negotiations on the final scope - remember, the Lighthouse would not have asked for the bare minimum it could deal with; they expect that some components of this would have to come out.

However, that having been said...

What Changed Last Week?

We heard a lot of positive news about the Lighthouse, and it came like a drink of water after a week in the desert. I'm right with you, it was tiring to constantly rehash how bad things looked, and I'm incredibly happy to see shoots of green sprouting out of the ground. I am more confident than I have ever been that all sides will work together toward a mutually-agreeable solution. Many people suspected that the Town of Hempstead was waiting for some signal from the other side that would give them cover to tone down the rhetoric and get down to the real business of making the Lighthouse a reality.

However, while I don't mean to rain on anybody's parade, I believe we need a quick dose of realism. First of all, this does not quelch the threat of special interests in Garden City suing for selfish reasons. Second of all, let's remember to look at the progress bar that I conveniently re-posted at the top of this entry. It is still in the same place - the sides are still reviewing the DGEIS to determine whether it's suitable for public comments. The positive meetings last week, which produced so much goodwill, had one simple outcome. They promised to have another meeting where they would discuss the possibility of moving to the next step - Public Review and Comment - which is still far away from our ultimate goal, Shovels in the Ground.

I do not want to sound like a broken record, but this bears repeating. The Town of Hempstead, Nassau County, and New York State are all saying the right things in this process. However, that is still not a substitute for doing the right thing. We will know by July 7 if all sides are truly committed to moving this forward in good faith. In the meantime, we need to be as vigilant and as committed to advocating for the Lighthouse as we were before these positive developments.

The poll on this site also confirmed my suspicion. Most people have, so far, named Kate Murray the big political winner after last week's progress, and many more are now promising to vote for and support her. You are obviously willing to vote for whomever you want - Kate Murray, Kristen McElroy, myself, BD Gallof, or anybody else. However - and we will discuss this in greater detail in the next section - please set the bar a little higher. A single week of good news does not make Kate Murray's months of obstruction and double-speak irrelevant. Instead, this history should make us wary and lead us to demand real action and change to follow-up on the promises.

Recent Events and a Reminder

I was looking for a perfect metaphor to show why politicians making positive noises means absolutely nothing, and, bless them, the New York State Senate provided it for me. Yesterday, in a scene straight out of a banana republic, Republicans staged a coup d'etat and wrested control of the State Senate back from the Democrats and former Majority Leader Malcolm Smith (Democrats won control of the State Senate in 2008 by a slim one-vote majority after literally 40 years of Republican rule). These actions took place as Democrats took many steps, including walking out, turning off the lights, and locking the doors to the Senate chamber today, to prevent Republicans from actually taking control. They are also planning lawsuits, and the general consensus is that Albany will be tied up in even greater gridlock than usual. As a taxpayer, I am outraged by this, and you should be too.

The defections were led by two Democratic State Senators, one who is under investigation for abusing his girlfriend, and another who is under investigation for violating election laws.

Now, please tell me - do you still think these politicians will, in their natural state, listen to the people and do what the people want as a default? If you do, I have some prime Florida swampland and 5 Nigerian Dwarf Goats to sell you. It is all about power and getting re-elected; we must still be vigilant and prove to these political officials that No Lighthouse = No Power.

As for the recent positive promises from the Town of Hempstead, I will make one of my favorite points - ask the people of West Hempstead how promises have helped them close and re-develop the Courtesy Hotel. Ask my community how promises have helped us re-develop the Bellmore Army Base. Talk is cheap, especially since the Town of Hempstead does not have a well-established track record. Until there is substantive action, I will treat this as yet another version of the classic line, "But the addict says he quit!"

Bottom Line

I will keep this short and sweet. Please do not be suckered into the game these politicians are playing. They are now grandstanding on the Lighthouse and trumpeting the "progress" that was made last week. Many people, who like me were utterly starved for good news about the Lighthouse, took this as a signal that we do not have to advocate as strongly anymore. This is exactly the wrong take-away. Do not let these politicians get away with mere promises of progress, because nothing can be taken as a given until there is a final deal in place. There is too strong a track record of the Town of Hempstead stalling on large developments for us to simply take them at their word in this instance. In the same vein, the recent dysfunction in Albany serves as a constant reminder that most politicians will act out of self-preservation and a desire for power. We saw movement on the Lighthouse because it became clear that voters wanted it. Now, we need to continually remind these politicians that we still want the Lighthouse.

Until the graphic says "Shovels in the Ground," our work is not over. Please don't forget that, and I look forward to seeing you on the front lines at our public events.

(Blogger's Note: My friend the 7th Woman has a wonderful post on this same subject that is worth reading as well)

(Second Blogger's Note: I will miss this Thursday's meeting due to prior commitments, but there will be plenty of coverage in the blogosphere. Stay tuned over the next few days for a response to NYI Fan's questions about the Lighthouse, an opinion piece about suburban life, and an analysis of the overall political effect of the Lighthouse for the upcoming elections)

Please share your thoughts in comments. Petition. Email Me. Follow me on Twitter.

Venturing Outside the Echo Chamber

(Blogger's Note: 10 days, still no apology from Joe Mondello)

I do my best to engage people on the Lighthouse, and you could debate how successful I am with that. More than anything, however, I have always been concerned that this site was an echo chamber, a place where there was not enough disagreement with the Lighthouse issue. Today was a fascinating look outside the echo chamber, as I (and a few others who read this site) attended a meeting in Garden City featuring Supervisor Kate Murray.

This will largely be darker than most things I write, but I owe it to you to give you the true story of what happened.

Also, Kristen McElroy was not in attendance, and it is quite possible this Homeowner's Association does not represent the part of Garden City in which she lives.

Two quick things first:

Meeting Tomorrow

Tomorrow's meeting, which is open for public comments, is very important for the Lighthouse. Please make every effort to attend and discuss the Lighthouse and how vital it is to the region's future. Kate Murray is confirmed in attendance, and Charles Wang will likely be there as well. This would mark the first time in a very long time that the two were in the same room at the same time.

As a reminder, the meeting will be held at the Nassau Legislative Chamber, 1550 Franklin Avenue (at the corner of Old Country Road), in Mineola. The Lighthouse discussion starts at 11 AM.

Nolan vs. Murray

David Reich-Hale, who has really been on top of the Lighthouse issue, has another feature on the LI Business News Polit Bureau blog. He compares the feigned "impartiality" of Kate Murray with the active engagement Phil Nolan, Islip Town Supervisor, has shown with those proposing the massive Heartland development in Brentwood.

Mr. Nolan has a good point - he has expertise in certain areas, and he can't just sit in an igloo until it's time to come out and vote, so what's the harm in engaging?

To Tonight...

Kate Murray gave a speech and Q-and-A session for the Garden City group today, discussing the Lighthouse, a planned expansion to the Covanta energy plant, and anything else that might be on citizens' minds.

This was an incredible window into the minds of certain Long Island residents, and I think it would be best to share some of my key impressions and take-aways from tonight:

Conduct

Kate Murray largely played it straight and should be commended for sticking to her (recent) dictum of looking at the Lighthouse like an impartial judge. She echoed most of the talking points we have come to know through this process, talking about the size, other projects in the region, and the speed at which the Town is moving (compared to...?).

(UPDATE: I am removing the encounter with Joe Ra, the Hempstead Attorney. It was a misunderstanding with no malicious intent)

SEQR Process Update

At this meeting, Kate Murray announced that Frederick P. Clark, the Town's environmental consultants, delivered a final memo on May 29 to the Lighthouse group. This document details the areas that must be improved before the issue can be brought for Public Comments.

At Least One October Will Pass

This space has openly questioned whether Frederick P. Clark, the Town of Hempstead's environmental consultants, had motivation to move the Lighthouse process forward and stop the steady stream of income. You can now add the Supervisor to a list of people who are in no hurry to move SEQR forward.

Let's remember, neither I nor anyone else want to skirt the law or do a slipshod job. We want things to move forward as quickly as they can. The Supervisor made sure to mention the years it has taken to review other big projects on Long Island (Heartland, Calverton, etc.) in an attempt to both congratulate herself on "speed" and, seemingly, to plant seeds of doubt in the Garden City electorate.

It is now clear - when we look at a prism of months, the Supervisor may be thinking years. It is the most clear illustration that SEQR is a law, and it can be bent to one's own will.

Charles Wang's October deadline will pass without any substantive action from the Town of Hempstead; the Supervisor would not even commit to Public Comments over the summer (though she allowed that it is possible).

Engagement

Kate Murray admitted that she did not know the basics of many of the issues surrounding the Lighthouse, including water usage and sewage (which, if my understanding is correct, will end up being a major issue, and it is something the Lighthouse needs to address quickly). The Supervisor's admitted lack of knowledge makes me wonder how engaged she is in the overall process, and whether she has any motivation to do so with the Lighthouse or any other major development. Believe me, memorizing SEQR law is not fun or joyous in any way, but I managed to do it in my spare time, and it's not my job to do so.

This begs the question - who is controlling the response to the DGEIS? Is the Town of Hempstead letting Frederick P. Clark take its sweet old time without any critical eye, or are they more deeply involved? This must be answered.

Misinformation

Many Garden City residents seem to oppose the Lighthouse for one reason: the proposed light rail system will run on an abandoned freight spur (that is nowhere near residential areas) amd, in the words of one resident at the meeting, "destroy [Garden City]." Only one problem: THERE IS NO LIGHT RAIL SYSTEM PROPOSED. It is a passing thing Tom Suozzi mentioned once as a possibility, and it was the center of many people's opposition. This really underscores the need to get informed, since a whole room of people were convinced of something that is not currently on the table.

Kate Murray did mention that it was not "part of the Lighthouse proposal," but she then suggested those concerned should contact Tom Suozzi. First of all, I heard many murmurs through the crowd suggesting Charles Wang, Scott Rechler, and Tom Suozzi were in cahoots to ram this down "our" (read: Garden City's) throat. Second of all, as far as she went, I think Ms. Murray should have gone further and reminded these residents that no such plan exists. Third of all - I really don't get the problems here. As I said before, I've lived next to a light rail system, something most of those people cannot say, and it never had a negative impact on my quality of life.

Garden City

Garden City has a reputation as a NIMBY community that does not want any development, anywhere, at any time. A running joke among some people is that they believe they are the Gold Coast, except there's no gold and no coast. Sadly, most of the people there displayed their Can't-Do Mentality and looked for ways to find problems with theLighthouse (and other projects in the area). At the end, few were willing to share ideas, with more than one resident declining a request to talk to me because they "did not want their names all over the internet." Funny thing, they spoke to Newsday, which publishes its stories online.

More ominous, the association president introduces the Supervisor by describing her as a friend and a buffer to the craziness going on all around them. This is a clear indication that this group is not happy with and plans to fight all proposed developments (though they seem to be OK with sprawl).

I think one thing typified the evening, more than anything else. A woman stood up and asked the Supervisor about her statements that environmental reviews take time. The woman asked a simple question that sadly got a lot of applause: "How long does it take to say no?"

Sadly, residents like these are not interested in the common good. Issues about the slow, painful death of Long Island will not register with them, and we cannot persuade them with normal means. Why? They only care about themselves. I hate saying that and generalizing a group of people, but if tonight's experience was any indication, we are dealing with people who only care about themselves and who will make countless people suffer to further their own interests.

It seems a basic fact escaped the crowd, which was overwhelmingly older people - there will be no homeowners like them in 30 years if they drive all the young people away.

Bottom Line

I was glad to have a window into the minds of voters who are opposed to the Lighthouse, and it left me both concerned and indignant. Frankly, when sitting in that meeting I felt like I was in a foreign country. It amazes me to see that those who support the Lighthouse talk about doing something great to lift up the entire community, and those who oppose it seem to dwell solely on how it will impact them. It is clear that Garden City will make good on threats to sue if the environmental review is not done according to their definition of speed, but it is not clear what exactly their definition is.

As for the Town of Hempstead, they are currently sending mixed signals. On one hand, they are attempting to reach out to Lighthouse supporters and open lines of communication. On the other hand, the siege mentality still reigns among many parts of the Town. You can look no further to a tense exchange that resulted from what might be the nicest thing I've said about Kate Murray all year.

More than anything, I am very glad our movement is starting, since it proves that we must fight for the Lighthouse if we want it. Voters in places like Garden City think their voices are the only ones that matter, and that is simply not true. They are willing to look for every reason to kill the Lighthouse and other major developments; we must be willing to meet them on the field of battle.

Kate Murray said it best herself:

"If they receive enough phone calls about one issue, any smart politician would listen." - Kate Murray

We have a pretty good idea of what Garden City residents and other Lighthouse opponents will do. I think it's also pretty clear what we need to do.

Please share your thoughts in comments. Petition. Email Me. Follow me on Twitter.

Movement Week: Dealing With Low-Information Voters

Hi everyone. Sorry for being relatively MIA the last few days; I needed a break on Friday and got roped into gardening/home improvement work all weekend. The house looks great, but my muscles are very angry with me.

As a result, Movement Week is going to progress over the next few days, since there are a few more things we should discuss as we get the movement going. First, we have a few more things to talk about:

McElroy's Lighthouse Stance

When I covered the Nassau County Democratic convention on Thursday, Kristen McElroy and Tom Suozzi both attested to the candidate's support for the Lighthouse. Now, some readers are calling that into question based on their own reported experiences at the same event. I will work on getting an interview with the candidate so we can understand the situation once and for all.

Just to clarify - I reported my personal experience at the convention, and a reader asked about an encounter that, if it happened, happened after I left. I can't speak to that, since I didn't see it, but I can find out the true story.

Tomorrow's Garden City Meeting

REMINDER - This, more than anything else, is a fact-finding mission. I am interested to see what Kate Murray says about the Lighthouse in such a setting. Silent support for our cause is imperative, and if we are able to speak with her we must keep it on a respectful level.

Tomorrow, Kate Murray will be addressing the Eastern Property Owners Association Annual Meeting in Garden City. She is scheduled to go on at 8, and it is unknown what she will be discussing.

For an event like this, let's know our audience and surroundings. This event is at a public library in Garden City, so booing her and wearing Islanders jerseys will do us far more harm than good. We need to show, in a quiet, dignified manner, that this is an important issue to a large part of Kate Murray's electorate, and she should do more than pay lip service to it.

It is also important to realize that this meeting is in a community that is inclined to oppose the Lighthouse, and this is an election year. I for one am very interested to hear the Supervisor's comments and whether she will attempt to court controversy.

I realize it's hard to put the brakes on or control a movement once it's started, but let's remember what we're aiming to do here. We're aiming to be more present and raise the profile of our issue.

Tuesday's LI Regional Planning Council Meeting

UPDATE - I will also say this in tonight's piece, but the public is allowed to ask questions and make comments about the Lighthouse at tomorrow's meeting. All you who have so eloquently advocated for the Lighthouse in this space and on other sites have a chance to do it in public.

Tuesday morning's meeting is another huge opportunity to make our numbers known. Kate Murray is confirmed in attendance for a public meeting of the Long Island Regional Planning Council (Blogger's Note: I'm sure this has a lot to do with the upcoming election, but I'll take Kate Murray's presence at a meeting about the Lighthouse any way I can get it). The Lighthouse will be discussed, starting around 11 AM. Basically, this meeting will declare the Lighthouse a regionally-significant development, opening up new avenues for assistance and support. The point of this meeting is to discuss the Lighthouse and its importance to the regional economy. As I said, jerseys should stay at home for this one, but signs should be OK, and making our support clear is imperative.

Also - I've seen some people criticize Kate Murray's stance on public meetings, even after this revelation. I believe Kate Murray deserves criticism for many of her actions, but we can't have it both ways. We rightly criticized her for refusing to attend public meetings, and now she is attending one. Let's reserve judgment until we see what happens.

Dualing LI Business News Interviews

David Reich-Hale, a writer for the Long Island Business News, has been one of the most fair and honest people in the media when discussing the Lighthouse. In case you have not seen, Mr. Reich-Hale has two interviews up on his Polit Bureau blog, one with Kate Murray and one with Chris Botta. The Supervisor again shows her tendency to put her foot in her mouth, criticizing "Islanders fans" for being ill-informed on the process, and Chris Botta does a great job shooting down some of the key Murray talking points that she seems to regurgitate to any and all media outlets.

I appreciate everything both Chris Botta and David Reich-Hale have done. That having been said, I do take exception to the statement that Chris Botta is the one who's most closely followed the Lighthouse issue, and I first reported Kate Murray's appearance on Tuesday, hours before that interview ran (check the Twitter feed).

To the Movement...

I have mentioned this concept, and used the term, many times here, but let's actually discuss the people. I fear low-information voters, people who do not understand all the facts and who can be easily led into believing certain things because of that limited information. This group has always been a known (and large) quantity in American political life. A famous story, possibly apocryphal, centers around Adlai Stevenson, who ran unsuccessfully for President many times in the 20th Century. During one of Stevenson's presidential campaigns, a supporter supposedly told him that he was sure to "get the vote of every thinking man" in the United States, to which Stevenson is said to have replied, "Thank you, but I need a majority to win."

We saw it last summer during the presidential campaign season. Sens. McCain and Clinton both proposed a "gas tax holiday," and it won Mrs. Clinton in particular a few primaries over Barack Obama. Nobody who studied the issue thought this was credible, because a) the holiday wouldn't take effect last summer, when gas prices were out of control, b) the federal gas tax pays for infrastructure improvements, and there was no way to recoup that loss, and c) if gas prices are lower, consumption will rise, and due to supply-and-demand prices will go back to the original point. It did not work in the real world, but low-information voters simply saw relief at the gas pump and ran with it.

We have also seen this with the Lighthouse. There are still people clinging to the belief that Charles Wang and Scott Rechler are bullies because they are trying to force all this development when Kate Murray has already said they could renovate the Coliseum immediately. The belief has taken root in some circles, even though a) Kate Murray does not have the authority to authorize it, b) the Coliseum on its own doesn't work economically, and c) it looks like an attempt to get a new arena without the rest of the Lighthouse. We see it with those who insist that Islanders fans are the only people who cared about this when I've met hundreds of people who want this project and wouldn't know Mike Bossy if he passed them on the street.

We are also seeing this in the misleading mailers the Town of Hempstead has been sending (at taxpayer expense) to residents. We saw the (taxpayer-funded) questionnaire from Councilman Gary Hudes that framed the debate in terms of what is "wrong" with the Lighthouse. We saw the condescending form letter that tells people how Kate Murray's conduct is all Tom Suozzi's fault, and we saw it in the phony petition drive seeking unavailable stimulus money.

In an ideal world, this problem could be easily solved through education, either on this site or others. However, this is not an ideal world (though, as Candide would say, it is the best of all possible worlds). Many low-information voters get all their information from Newsday and base their opinion of elected officials on their (taxpayer-funded) mailers touting their own greatness.

We need a new tactic to win these people over. It is especially important because in the term, low-information voter, the key word is voter.

Question to Ponder

Moving into the comments section, let's think about this: How can we best communicate with low-information voters who do not currently read this site and are apt to believe the misinformation about the Lighthouse that is still floating around?

Please share your thoughts in comments. Petition. Email Me. Follow me on Twitter.

Movement Week: The Race Is On

(Blogger's Note: It is now 6 days since Joe Mondello crassly and rudely insulted a voter at the Kate Murray rally, and he has not yet apologized)

(You can check a more high-level discussion of this, also written by me, on Islanders Independent)

My apologies for the quick hit posting. I am proud to announce that this was the first Let There Be Light(house) scoop in this blog's history - Kristen McElroy of Garden City has been nominated to run against Kate Murray for Hempstead Supervisor. I found out soon after arriving at the Democratic convention and wanted to make sure I had the information first. Is it a tad selfish? Absolutely. Am I proud nonetheless? As they say, you betcha.

Getting the Scoop

I arrived at the Cradle of Aviation Museum as Jay Jacobs was formally beginning the convention. Shortly afterward, I ran into my legislator, Dave Denenberg (D - Merrick) at the event, and in my typical understated fashion, I said hello and asked "So, is it you?" He calmly demurred and said he was not the best candidate for this year, and Kristen McElroy had in fact been nominated.

Thank you, Legis. Denenberg, and thanks to friend of the blog Joe Conte for letting me update the blog on his iPhone (I'm waiting for the new model before I get my own).

Observations From The Convention

There were two groups of protestors at the convention: one group supporting same-sex marriage rights and another group of volunteer firefighters aiming to preserve volunteer fire departments on Long Island. I do not know much about the fire departments issue, but I would be remiss if I didn't mention their presence.

I was heartened by the constant calls for moving Long Island into the 21st Century. Tom Suozzi in particular mentioned the need to move Long Island forward, specifically mentioning the Lighthouse, and calling for a "Property Tax Revolution" to minimize government waste on Long Island. This was very good to hear, but I was also upset that I did not hear more people sounding the alarm over the Lighthouse. This could very well be a winning issue for a large part of the Democratic slate, and I wonder if they've yet realized this.

I heard more than one person express skepticism at Charles Wang's current iron-clad deadline to receive "certainty" on the Lighthouse by October 3. These sources pointed out that, as we know from this blog's four-part-investigative-series, SEQR is a process that must be allowed to play out of its own accord. Continuing to beat the drum would only force Kate Murray in a corner, and that is exactly what she wants to happen. I reminded these sources that the Town of Hempstead is historically slow on things like this, and while they acknowledged the need for skepticism they cautioned against blind calls for speed.

(Blogger's Note: many high-level operatives at this convention did not know the economic reasoning for the Lighthouse Project. This is a grave problem, and this lack of information is either a failure of the Lighthouse or a failure of Tom Suozzi's office. It is inexcusable and must be rectified)

(Second Blogger's Note: I'm sure those who think I'm genetically incapable of criticizing the Lighthouse and Charles Wang are feeling tightness in their chests right now. Deep breaths....In.....Out.....It'll be OK)

More than one source with whom I spoke stressed the need for voters to take on a large part of the burden in advocating for the Lighthouse. An especially insightful comment came from a key aide to one of New York's two US Senators. I mentioned that some on Long Island were upset that Sens. Schumer and Gillibrand sent a letter to Gary Bettman saying the potential move of the Phoenix Coyotes to Hamilton could harm the Buffalo Sabres, but they have both been silent on the Lighthouse and the Islanders. This aide correctly reminded me that politicians involving themselves "before the key moment"*** would simply calcify it as a Democrat vs. Republican issue and guarantee nothing will get done. In this aide's words, the only way to make this a galvanizing issue is to make it from the ground-up, and that makes me very happy we began our movement this week.

I was shocked to near speechlessness about another thing that speaks volumes both about the media and the apparent levels of communication in the Nassau Democratic Party. In my discussion with a few elected officials, I brought up the verbal altercations with Joe Mondello that occurred last Friday. None of them knew about it. This shows both the power the media still has and the fact that the information-broadcasting abilities on the local level are not yet developed. If the politicians don't seem to know, what hope do we have for voters who don't read anything but Newsday?

*** According to this aide, the "key moment" will come during/after the DGEIS is out of its current morass and into public review and comment.

So, Who is Kristen McElroy?

Kristen McElroy has never held elected office, but she became widely known among Long Island (and New York State) political circles in 2008 because she almost pulled off a shocking upset. Running against deeply-entrenched Republican Kemp Hannon, Ms. McElroy fought a tougher race than anybody anticipated and lost by a margin of 3,000 votes. This doubtlessly contributed to her nomination to run against an entrenched Republican dynasty.

Kristen McElroy is a resident of Garden City and a practicing attorney at a law firm she co-founded with her father, McElroy and McElroy. Previously, she served as an Assistant District Attorney in Nassau County, where, according to her old State Senate Campaign Site, she prosecuted a wide range of cases, including burglary and DWI. She currently lives with her husband, Matt, and three children.

Ms. McElroy lists as her key issues access to affordable health care, the property tax burden on Long Island, education, and control of energy costs. I had a brief conversation with her at the convention, and she is unabashedly pro-Lighthouse. I will be interested to see the extent to which she involves that issue in her campaign. Currently, she told Newsday her biggest current issue with the Town of Hempstead is "ending the patronage." (Patronage? What patronage?

Also, if you would like to hear from the candidate directly, here is a brief interview and a campaign commercial from last year's run for State Senate:





Instant Analysis

(Also check the great piece from the Long Island Business News detailing this selection)

I was very surprised by this decision, since Jay Jacobs' previous statements about a candidate led me to believe it was a current elected official. However, I remember vividly the events of last November, in which Ms. McElroy came within 3,000 votes of defeating Kemp Hannon, one of the Republican stalwarts in New York State and a man widely thought to be unbeatable. That clearly opened some eyes among the Democratic Party, and she was tapped to run against Kate Murray with that in mind. However, I can't mention the race against Kemp Hannon without mentioning the Obama Effect - did the historic Presidential election pull up many down-ticket Dems and give Ms. McElroy a much better showing than she otherwise would have gotten? We may never know, but it should be asked.

Given Ms. McElroy's staunchly pro-Lighthouse stance, it is also interesting to note that she comes from Garden City, widely believed to be the center of opposition to all development everywhere at any time the Lighthouse. This could be a very savvy move by the Dems.

Others have thought of her relative youth and vitality. This could be an asset, but it depends on whether voters in the Town of Hempstead are looking for that sort of thing. At this point, I will call it a push, and we will see how things play out.

Let's throw the rest of the fluff out the window. I know what you guys are thinking, and it's the only important question: Can she win? The truth is, I don't know. Kate Murray won with nearly 70% of the vote two years ago, and it remains to be seen how this will play out. There are three major things, however, working in Ms. McElroy's favor: the Lighthouse; the recent tilt in voter registrations at the Town of Hempstead (more Democrats than Republicans for the first time in the Town's nearly 350-year history - the advantage is around 8,900, with over 90,000 unaffiliated); and Tom Suozzi being up for re-election.

In the end, this will hinge on money, passion, and turnout. Kristen McElroy will be a credible challenger if she can raise enough money to get her message out there, if Tom Suozzi's re-election increases voter turnout, and if the Lighthouse can become a galvanizing issue.

At this moment, Kate Murray must be considered a heavy favorite for the seat, but the election is not held on May 28.

Bottom Line

This was a fascinating window into the inner workings of local politics, and I came out both fascinated and shocked. If nothing else, it calcified my belief that the true movement must come from we, the people. We cannot wait for Tom Suozzi, Kristen McElroy, Dave Denenberg, or anybody else to ride in and guarantee the Lighthouse's safe passage. As our President (and I) love to say, we are the ones we've been waiting for, now let's go out there and make things happen.

The Long Island Business news again stated that killing the Lighthouse would be akin to political suicide for Kate Murray. It leads me to believe that party operatives on both sides know more than they are telling us, and they believe a broad base of support exists. Now, we have to prove it. If we want to make a movement, and if we want to effect real change on Long Island, it has to begin with us, not the politicians. At the end of the day, authority rests in us, and we must make it clear what we want. It could very well be that a formidable movement would make Kate Murray and the Town of Hempstead take action before the election, and that would surely make things quite interesting.

I wish Kristen McElroy and Kate Murray all the best in this race. Instead of rooting for a candidate, I'm rooting for the future of Long Island, and the candidate that stands with me on that will get my vote. We must all root for the future of Long Island and make it clear that we will not be passive observers of our own destiny.

Please share your thoughts in comments. Petition. Email Me. Follow me on Twitter.

Movement Week: The Need for an Emotional Appeal

(Blogger's Note: It is now 5 days since Joe Mondello crassly and rudely insulted a voter at the Kate Murray rally, and he has not yet apologized)

Really great stuff on the post from Monday; I'm glad to see you guys ran with the concept as much as you did. Next week there will be a tying-together post discussing some of the best ideas we saw this week and how we can use that to move forward in advocating for the Lighthouse.

Just a few quick things before we get to the main event:

Selling Coliseum Land?

I've had a few questions about the revelation that Tom Suozzi is selling County-owned buildings in Mitchell Field, the complex which includes Nassau Coliseum. Many readers followed that revelation to its logical end and wondered if the Coliseum itself was for sale.

This proves the County is in dire fiscal straits, though I'm sure Tom Suozzi could have found a solution that did not smell like backroom dealing. Anyway, I've asked around, and Nassau County has no intention of selling the land on which Nassau Coliseum sits. Mitchell Field is a term used to describe over 200 acres of County-owned land that used to be an Air Force base. The article concerns a few office buildings that are on Quentin Roosevelt Blvd, northwest from the Coliseum site. There are no plans to sell the Coliseum land, and many legislators previously promised to vote against the Lighthouse if there is an ultimate transfer of ownership.

To conclude: this development does not affect the Lighthouse in any way, shape or form.

Democratic Convention

Much of what we hope to do in advocating for the Lighthouse hinges on Kate Murray's opponent. The Democrats must nominate a formidable candidate who provides a reasonable alternative in order for our movement to maximize its traction.

This may yet happen, but I will find out when you do. As of right now, the Nassau County Democratic Party denied my request to attend the convention as either a citizen or a member of the media. I will chase one more avenue, but this is not a good start for the Democrats, and it is not the best way to treat a person who practically begged to help you.

Reminder: the convention will be tomorrow evening, at 6PM, at the Cradle of Aviation Museum in Garden City. Kate Murray's opponent will be nominated there.

More Mondello Madness

The Joe Mondello issue has garnered a lot of traction, and I have received emails from many readers who called in. Loyal reader Robert says he called the Nassau County GOP to complain about Joe Mondello's actions on Friday, and in response, the staffer criticized Charles Wang for being unwilling to negotiate and claimed the housing component is a big thing the GOP wants to fight.

Where have we heard this before?

Also, many readers report calling Kate Murray's office to complain, and they all say Kate Murray's office has refused to take responsibility or apologize for the comments. Sorry, Supervisor. If it happened at your event, you're responsible.

To the Movement...

Marketers often talk about the need for an emotional appeal to a product. This scene from Mad Men is a perfect example of what I mean; Don Draper is pitching an advertising campaign for a Kodak slide projector that uses a wheel, yet he manages to make a deep emotional connection (and win the business).

We must do the same thing with the Lighthouse, and I realize that I am just as culpable as everybody else, perhaps moreso. Discussions about Net Present Value and Sports Economics are vital to the discussion, but they cannot and should not be the entire crux of our advocacy for the Lighthouse.

Why is this? Simple: people who oppose the Lighthouse can pull out a trump card on us:

You're destroying suburbia.

It doesn't matter that the current sprawl mentality is actually destroying suburbia. This argument resonates, and it resonates very strongly. Too often (and I am just as guilty of this as everyone else), those advocating for the Lighthouse fall back on the money arguments.

We can do the same thing. As my testimonial (this is the actual video of what I said at the Town of Hempstead on February 24) shows, we have emotional appeals as well:

• The rest of the region is leaving Long Island behind.
• Our children are taking the education our tax dollars provide and putting down roots somewhere else. They feel no connection to a place they believe does not want them.
• We can stand up, at this pivotal moment, and say "yes" to the future, while still retaining that unmistakably Long Island character that we have.
• We helped put a man on the moon, and we lifted Charles Lindbergh into the air - now our generation has a chance to echo through the pages of history.

These can be powerful arguments, but we need to settle on a few themes and ideas in order to keep the debate on an equal level.

Question to Ponder...

I'll leave you with this as we go into the Comments - How can we make the best emotional appeal for the Lighthouse? Should we push something I mentioned above, or would another argument make our point in a stronger, more emotionally-effective way.

Don Draper caused a major paradigm shift in that clip I linked to above. Kodak had been calling the projector's feature a "wheel," and Don managed to reframe the whole discussion by calling it a "carousel." Let's see what we can do with and for the Lighthouse.

Please share your thoughts in comments. Petition. Email Me. Follow me on Twitter.

Movement Week: Dealing With the Pure Hockey Fans

(Blogger's Note: It is now 3 days since Joe Mondello crassly and rudely insulted a voter at the Kate Murray rally, and he has not yet apologized)

This is the start of Movement Week, where we hope to get a discussion going to both grow and better inform our group of concerned citizens. I am very happy to see that so many people are willing to stand up and fight for the Lighthouse to become a reality. Frankly, as I Tweeted previously, those who are not willing to stand up and fight for our team and our community deserve neither a team nor a community.

These posts are meant to be group brainstorming sessions, since I don't have all the answers here. Just like the opinion pieces, this works better when we have more comments - and I look forward to hearing everyone's point of view.

First - New Additions to the Sidebar

You may have noticed some changes to the right-hand sidebar of this site. I have now included a poll, with questions that will rotate every week. We've also added Kate Murray Campaign Central, which has all resources of her re-election campaign and a calendar of upcoming public events.

Finally, we have incorporated the idea of a visual progress graph that our friend 19 Isle in NJ 22 suggested a few months ago. You can see the upcoming steps that lead from where we are now (review of DGEIS) to where we want to be (shovels in the ground).

Back to Our Regularly-Scheduled Movement...

Anyway, let's get to it...The Lighthouse Project is unlike anything that Long Island has seen since Levittown, and it will re-shape the future of Long Island for decades to come. Even though the future of the New York Islanders created the idea, the Lighthouse Project will ultimately rise or fall based on its perceived value to the community.

However, there is one major danger to the Lighthouse Project that outweighs any entrenched "suburban" mentality or small-minded politician. This danger is something that we, as supporters, must identify and attempt to turn the tide.

Pure hockey fans.

Stay with me - I know this sounds a little odd. There are people who only support the Lighthouse because they are Islanders fans and the Lighthouse will keep their beloved team from leaving. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that, and I'd be lying if I said that keeping the Islanders where they belong wasn't what first attracted me to the Lighthouse.

However, there is an issue - many people who just want the Islanders to stay are not reliable supporters of the Lighthouse specifically. Because their main driver is hockey, these specific people will support the Lighthouse, but they would be just as happy with another option that kept the Islanders in this area. Therefore, you see them whenever Chris Botta writes a negative piece on the Lighthouse arguing whether Queens, Brooklyn, or Suffolk County is the best place to relocate the franchise. Among many people, the perception has taken root that the Lighthouse is in fact dead in the water, and they are willing to move on to anything else that will keep the Islanders in the area.

This is the biggest danger facing the movement because solidarity is the most important thing we can have right now. If the decisionmakers see the pro-Lighthouse side as easily fractured and not as numerous as it may seem at first, they will be far less receptive to our message. It puts us behind the 8 ball in a way that we do not have to be.

What Must We Do?

I have often wondered how my business training translates into the land of politics. I've worked on marketing new and old ventures, and the dictum is the same: if someone does not want to be my customer, then fine, you just move on to someone who is willing. No harm, no foul.

To me, that does not apply in the same way to politics because those people still vote, and their votes will play a large role in the eventual decision for the Lighthouse.

Therefore, what must we do?

We must make the argument connect to them.

As prior Lighthouse supporters, the pure hockey fans are opening to supporting the project in a more sustained way. We must engage these voters, educate them on the overall process, and search for ways to connect the debate to their concerns about both their hockey team and their community.

There are many ways to do this, because Long Island is in serious trouble and falling behind the rest of the region economically. We must continue to engage these voters to learn their concerns and weave their potential points of support into the overall narrative.

Question to Ponder

Here's a good starting point for the comments section - how can we work toward making a connection with the pure hockey fans who are potential Lighthouse supporters but currently just want the Islanders to stay?

Please share your thoughts in comments. Petition. Email Me. Follow me on Twitter.

More From Friday's Event

(I think a dufflebag should become our symbol from now on)

Movement Week will officially start tomorrow - Memorial Day. In the meantime, I want to discuss a few odds-and-ends, as well as some more detailed analysis from the Kate Murray rally this past Friday.

Kate Murray's Father Retires

Well, that didn't take long. On Friday, less than two weeks after his strange employment situation came to light, the Town of Hempstead announced that Kate Murray's father, Norman Murray, is retiring from his $40-an-hour clerical job to "spend more time with his family."

Seemingly all Mr. Murray's children work for either the Town of Hempstead or a firm doing business with the Town of Hempstead. What a sadly ironic reason to give; if he wants to spend more time with his family he should keep working.

Media Coverage of Rally Misses the Point...Again

The phenomenon of "rote reporting" was yet again on display in the pages of Newsday. Newsday's piece from the Kate Murray rally this past Friday conveniently left out Joe Mondello's verbal altercation with voter Joe Conte of Franklin Square. As you remember, Mondello told Mr. Conte to "blow it out his dufflebag" when he loudly advocated for the Lighthouse, and he then accused Mr. Conte of being a paid plant for Charles Wang.

(Blogger's Note: Joe Mondello's partisan screed on Friday partially accused the press of giving Tom Suozzi and the Democrats a free ride. Funny that the press responds to this by ignoring what should be an important story)

Loyal reader Section 320 Rocks sent an email to the Newsday reporter questioning the decision to omit this altercation. The reporter blamed editors for the removal of "blow it out your dufflebag," and she then said one of the most stunning things I've heard in a very long time. The reporter apparently did not feel comfortable mentioning Mondello's accusation because she had not asked the Lighthouse supporters at the meeting if they actually were paid plants.

By the way - this is another picture I snapped at the rally. Note the Newsday photographer on the left who is taking a picture of Joe - even though it didn't make the paper.

(Blogger's Note: This was right after the near-physical confrontation...Sorry, it happened spur of the moment and I had to both grab my camera and run about 50 feet to get a shot)


Also, kudos to the Long Island Business News for reporting the incident. I'm glad to see the phony ideal of balance hasn't completely infected all media outlets.

By The Way, Mr. Mondello...

Speaking of which - it's now 2 days since we demanded an apology from Joe Mondello for his disgusting statements to a voter exercising his right to free speech. I have been reviewing news from the last week, and I just have one question:

Isn't this the same Joe Mondello who, at a Democratic rally held on Tuesday, sent his paid staffers outside to throw teabags at Tom Suozzi? And who then asserted his constitutional right to do so?

Also - astute reader BR noticed that Joe Mondello told the crowd in attendance that "[The Democrats] want your jobs," and other voters at the event report hearing people saying they "clocked out [from work]" to attend the Kate Murray rally.

Also - and expect more on this issue - this is part of a disturbing trend lately. The Town of Hempstead has previously accused voters in favor of the Lighthouse of being bought off by Charles Wang - and a certain member of the media who shall remain nameless also insinuated that bribery is involved.

Why are they pushing this grand illusion? And. Mr. Mondello, who's paying whom?

Mondello's Involvement

The Newsday piece also highlights something very interesting - Joe Mondello, who runs the New York State Republican Party, in addition to the Hempstead and Nassau County GOP, is planning to directly involve himself in Kate Murray's re-election campaign.

It's funny - many people have long suspected that Kate Murray was a made politician who needed Joe Mondello. At this point, given the recent blue tint on Long Island, Mondello may be the needy one. Republicans are losing at every level in New York, and prominent Republicans are both breaking ranks on key issues and openly questioning Joe Mondello's stewardship of their party. Therefore, Mr. Mondello needs a victory - and he needs it in the Town of Hempstead. It doesn't matter if he forces himself into a corner backing a failed ideology, because in many ways the Town of Hempstead might be his Alamo. They would accept decades of a failed ideology that is driving people off Long Island if it stems the recent tide of republican losses.

In other words - Mr. Mondello wants to sell our future for a political victory in 2009.

Think about it for one second. When you take out the veterans (who were sadly used as props), the elected officials, the bloggers/reporters, and the $450 an hour banjo band, there might have been 40 Kate Murray "supporters" at Friday's rally - a very small number for a supposedly popular incumbent. The State Republican chairman is directly involving himself in a Town election. Joe Conte - who is skinny as a rail, maybe 5'8, and carrying an oak tag sign - made Mondello lose his temper. The Republican Party is scared, and they may actually believe Kate Murray is vulnerable due to this issue.

One other thing - Joe Mondello has a long history of mentoring politicians off a cliff (see Gulotta, Tom). I could almost hear champagne corks popping at Democratic Party headquarters when he promised to get directly involved in this race.

Town of Hempstead's New Tune

I briefly, again, want to thank both Joe Ra and Don Clavin from the Town of Hempstead for being so accessible and offering the most honest answers we have received from the Town in months. Mr. Ra apologized for the Islanders Fans First fiasco and went as far as calling it a "mistake." Mr. Clavin also expressed remorse, and he also expressed confidence that there would be a deal made for the Lighthouse site. In his words, the issue now is where the middle will lie.

I am glad the Town of Hempstead is starting to say the right things. However, until their actions match the rhetoric, forgive me for being skeptical.

Bottom Line - And a Message From Joe Conte

If nothing else, the events on Friday prove exactly how powerful our movement can become. If Lighthouse supporters continue to pound their message home at every Kate Murray event, and the other party fields a viable candidate, it is very likely that we will get our point across. We must continue to organize, and we must continue to educate others, because our future is far too important to leave to chance, and it is lunacy to leave it in the hands of people like Joe Mondello.

Joe Conte - the "rabble-rouser" from Friday's rally - posted this amazing comment on Chris Botta's Islanders Point Blank yesterday. With his permission, here it is, and I can't think of a better way to close this post:

This is an extremely serious issue to myself as a Long Islander. The fact that I am an Islander fan just have made me (and all of us) privy to the day to day workings of the plight of the Lighthouse. It is about the future-of the Islanders and more importantly Long Island. The two go hand in hand-a vibrant economically diverse region will have a professional sports team b/c the economy of the area can support it. If the Islanders leave due do a lack of development-there will be no team coming back.

As a recent college grad, I will be leaving the Island soon as Long Island does not offer the 21st Century lifestyle the Lighthouse would eventually provide(and in turn keep our Islanders here for decades). As soon as the plan was unveiled, a buddy (who moved to Hoboken) and myself said “We’d live here.”

Now on to my actions yesterday- though our turnout was small it was a great start for a Friday afternoon, spur of the moment, call to assemble. All movements have to start somewhere and I believe yesterday was the start.

I honestly do believe if we channel the passion of Islander fans seen here and other places on the internet we can defeat Kate Murray. It is totally doable- from a political standpoint. She is vulnerable provided we take the necessary political actions to make her so.(which i hope to lay out at a later date)

Islander fans-the fate of our beloved team has literally fallen on OUR shoulders. The only question is now-will we accept that responsibility. As all of you have seen-I’m willing to play my part-and I hope to have all of you by my side in the coming months.

Do not hesitate to contact me at jc77318@yahoo.com

The time to act is now.

- Joe Conte

Please share your thoughts in comments. Petition. Email Me. Follow me on Twitter.

Also, don't forget to thank a veteran tomorrow.

Starting the Movement

(Guy Kawasaki's The Art of the Start is required reading for anybody who wants to be an entrepreneur, or who wants to start something in general. I can't recommend it enough)

I said last week that advocating for the Lighthouse needs to become a movement, and I am more than willing to take a leadership role. I am not one to throw out empty words, so today will kick off what I hope will become some group brainstorming sessions aimed toward building up the movement and getting our message out there.

I want to discuss a few random bits of news first.

UPDATE: FOR THOSE SEEKING KATE

According to the Long Island Business News, Kate Murray is kicking off her re-election campaign with a public rally tomorrow at 1PM at Levittown Veterans Memorial Park. If you can make it, I'm sure she'd love to hear about what issues are important to us.

I Join Islanders Independent

As I tweeted earlier today, I have joined BD Gallof's Islanders Independent as a contributing writer. I will probably write 1-2 pieces a week, many about topics beyond the Lighthouse Project, and this will not in any way affect the regularity or quality of the posts on this site. I hope those of you who don't read that site regularly will give it a look.

Community Alliance Highlights This Blog

For those who have not made it over there, The Community Alliance runs a fantastic blog that details many of the issues affecting Long Island, in addition to the Lighthouse. Yesterday, they wrote a piece featuring Let There Be Light(house), in which I discuss a little bit about Kate Murray and the overall goal of the blog. I suggest you check it out, as well as some of the other posts over there.

Suozzi Kicks off Campaign, Plugs Lighthouse

Tom Suozzi, seeking his third term as County Executive, formally kicked off his campaign at a rally held at RXR Plaza in Uniondale this Tuesday. He also posted video on YouTube detailing his vision for this election season.

Suozzi is centering his re-election campaign around relief from the crushing property taxes currently faced by citizens in Nassau County. According to Newsday's Spin Cycle blog, Suozzi has an interesting idea to improve the tax burden on Long Island: approve the Lighthouse. In Suozzi's view (and mine), approving the development will bring much-needed tax revenues and hopefully preclude the need to raise property taxes in the foreseeable future.

(Blogger's Note: The Newsday reporter was a bit overzealous here, referring to the Lighthouse as "controversial" for some reason, and slamming numerous aspects of it. First of all, every action has negative consequences. I believe the positives of the Lighthouse outweigh the negatives, and this means the project should be built. Second of all, saying that a development such as this, that will spur commercial investment and keep more jobs on Long Island, will not help ancillary communities is simply not true.)

Our friend the 7th Woman also has a great piece on this.

Where is the Opponent?

Last week, I wrote about how Jay Jacobs, Chairman of the Nassau County Democratic Party, promised to name a "formidable" challenger to Kate Murray this week. It appears, now, that this promise will not be kept. In a Newsday article from yesterday, Nassau Legis. Dave Denenberg (D-Merrick) still appears to be weighing whether or not to enter the race, and this suggests the Democratic Party does not yet have a nominee.

This silence will soon be broken. According to the Nassau County Democratic Party's official website, the party is holding its nominating convention Thursday, May 28, at the Cradle of Aviation Museum in Garden City. Expect Kate Murray's opponent to be named no later than at the convention, and I plan to be in attendance.

We Didn't Start the Fire...

...but we are starting a movement. It has become painfully clear that Kate Murray and the intransigent people running the Town of Hempstead are content to stall the Lighthouse until either Charles Wang and Scott Rechler give up or voters demand a change. We must not sit around and wait for a change; we must demand it NOW.

Today, we saw in real-time the danger in which the Lighthouse Project continuously finds itself. Chris Botta wrote a pessimistic piece on the Lighthouse (which did not contain any new information), and the comments section was immediately overrun with people declaring the Lighthouse dead and arguing over whether Queens, Brooklyn, or Suffolk County is the best relocation option for the Islanders franchise. Some people, even those who are in favor of the project, betrayed a stunning lack of knowledge in the overall process, blaming Nassau County for a process that is controlled by the Town of Hempstead. If even Islanders fans cannot be counted on for solidarity, and many who favor the project don't understand the whole story, we have a very serious problem on our hands, a problem that demands a bold solution.

Therefore, I am proposing a bold idea for you guys. Over the next few days and weeks, I want to start running group brainstorming sessions on this blog. I hope to pass many of our ideas onto the Lighthouse, but it will mostly be in terms of what we, as citizens who care, can do in order to sustain the movement and put this process forward.

I have a list of ideas that I want to discuss in the formation of a movement:

• The need for an emotional story
• Marketing and positioning
  
• Dealing with pure hockey fans
• Dealing with low-information voters
• Spreading the word
• Encouraging voter participation
• Contributing to the process when you do not live in the Town of Hempstead or Nassau County

If you have any other ideas, please pass them along in the comments section.

We cannot sit and wish for the movement to grow. We must be the ones we've been waiting for. We must stand up, demand our voices be heard, and share our desires to move Long Island forward.

Please share your thoughts in comments. Petition. Email Me. Follow me on Twitter.