WHAT IS KATE MURRAY THINKING?
Pre-Game: FMIV’s back, Okposo Close
Three hours and two additional reads later, I’m even more mystified by the comments of my Town of Hempstead Supervisor Kate Murray today on the Newsday site. Read Jim Baumbach’s Q & bad A with Murray here.
I was in such a rush to get the word out on Baumbach’s article that I included just my brief take. Now that the Islanders’ morning skate is over, some follow-up thoughts…
1. From reading the article, you get the sense Supervisor Murray has no clue of any of the Lighthouse Project steps before it landed in her hands. She comes off like Donovan McNabb, unaware NFL games can end in ties.
With her showboating offer to work on the Coliseum now, does the Town Supervisor remember that Charles Wang and Scott Rechler won the rights to the project because Nassau County wanted their vision for a Smart Growth, mixed-use development? It was the County - even more than the developers themselves - who insisted that the simple refurbishing of the Coliseum was not what the region needed.
2. According to a source, the current estimate to “fix” the Coliseum and make it a major league arena is $400 million. After all the time and money Wang and Rechler have already put into this project, it’s tough to view Murray’s offer as anything except an insult.
3. The Town of Hempstead Supervisor says “We don’t even have the draft of the environmental impact statement yet.” Just a thought, but that may be because the developers can’t draft it until all of the scoping is completed by the various agencies and, you know, the Town of Hempstead.
4. Murray has this wonderful nugget to Baumbach: “As long as four years ago I had offered specifically to the developers to re-develop the Coliseum as a stand-alone project separate and apart from the Lighthouse Project itself.”
Really? Four years ago? Wang and Rechler were chosen as the developers by Nassau County (over three other groups, including one led by Fred Wilpon) less than two years ago. Scary stuff.
5. About those jabs at Gary Bettman, or as Kate Murray calls him, “that NHL guy.” Look, it’s one thing for a hockey blogger and hockey fans to gang up on the league commissioner. Even Bettman knows the drill.
But for the Town Supervisor of Hempstead to go out of her way to elbow the man who runs the league, that’s just not smart politics. Look up how much the Islanders annually fill the Town coffers, Supervisor. Look up how many residents have jobs at night because of the little hockey games here.
Bettman has a lot of say about where NHL franchises play. For all the hockey issues Islanders fans have with the league office, Bettman has been guiding the Islanders owner on the arena development issue since Wang purchased the franchise in April, 2000. With Kate Murray’s statements - not just about “that NHL guy” but more importantly her lack of any vision (or, it seems, understanding) for the project - ringing in his head, Bettman will continue to be a guiding force.
ETC: Freddy Meyer (hernia surgery) is off the IR and will be partnered with Chris Campoli tonight. Expect Bruno Gervais and Thomas Pock to sit this one out.
Scott Gordon on Kyle Okposo: “Hopefully for the weekend.”
In a good bit of hustle, Dan Martin of the Post got hold of Rick DiPietro at Iceworks yesterday. It was announced on November 1 that the goalie had surgery on Halloween and would be out 4-6 weeks. DiPietro has yet to resume skating. Looks like it could be closer to six weeks, if not more.
Comments.
52 Responses to “WHAT IS KATE MURRAY THINKING?
Pre-Game: FMIV’s back, Okposo Close”
Please Wait
I’ve gotta disagree with your take on this Chris. I think she is just trying to keep her mouth shut as much as possible until she has a few answers (such as the environmental study findings). As the person who runs the town, it is in her best interests (as well as her grave responsibility) to do so. I don’t think it is out of the ordinary per se, more that some of her comments are a reflection of her own personal style, which each of us has. Nothing more.
Yay, I am psyched to see Meyer back! And Gervais sitting (sorry, love the kid but…).
Referring to the county’s desire for a smart growth alternative, here’s my biggest fear: Kate Murray has her marching orders to make sure this thing doesn’t go through specifically to avoid handing Tom Suozzi a political victory in a year where he’s probably going to run for re-election. I’m a Republican increasingly distressed by a Nassau County Republican party that has absolutely no vision whatsoever. Do they stand for anything? Hard to see. But being obstructionist does have its political upside. In fact, there is more upside around here politically to being against something than being for something.
That NHL guy??? This, from a politician? I know that the onset of the Sarah Palin era has brought with it a newfound fascination with folksy, hockey-mom talk from out elected officials, but this is a little ridiculous…
I think Gervais has gotten a bit of a bum rap. I know he has the lowest +/- on the team, but he’s been a gamer. Either way, I do think he should sit tonight in favor of FMIV - to think that this time last year Meyer had been claimed off waivers by Phoenix and was nowhere on our depth chart…
She reminds me of Anita McCambridge - the owner of the Charlestown Chiefs ( in that she seems to wish that the team would fold and go away )
She is a politician who is out of her league. I am sure that she will be hearing from Al D’Amato real soon who will set her straight….once someone retains him to do so.
Chris,
Are they looking to trade Pock or one of the other defensemen now that they have 8 guys with one-way contracts?
Strong words, CB. I’m sticking by my original take on it, but your points are well taken.
Another reason why living on Long Island, and paying some of the highest taxes, and MTA fares going up, traffic woes, blah blah blah, is getting worse and worse. Seriously, if I was Wang I would move my whole damn headqursters out of Bohemia, and to another state, including the Islanders.
in logan’s chat today the moderator said that there will be a story in tomorrow’s newsday about the progress of this project. i’m going to wait until i read what it’s that article before saying anything other than her comments about bettman were nutty, very nutty.
I’ll admit I’m kind of clueless about the whole transportation solution if the Lighthouse is in fact approved. Are they considering something like a “lightrail” system similar to the one in place in Jersey City? Seems to me that it would work considering there are already unused tracks in the area.
Glad to hear okposo may be back for the weekend. I feel Kyle was just beginning to find his game when he got hurt.
PolishPrince: it’s something I’m sure they’re looking at, but right now they’re talking about a bus system to connect the site to the LIRR and the wider area. I hope they get some kind of rail in there but it’ll be harder to get that through than it was for the project.
Good thing about a project like this is it attracts money from the government to get things done.
Murray is nothing more than a political hack who should never have risen to this position of authority. If we are banking on her, unfortunately, like so many other great visions for New Yor, this project will fail. I guess she’s from the Sheldon Silver school. Kill a project that would be good for evryone, just so that you can feel self important. She had better do the right thing, or she will forever be known as the person who destroyed the Islanders.
FIVE STARS CHRIS BOTTA……
Outstanding take on Ms. Murray.
I can’t remember the last time I was trembling halfway through a commentary like this.
I went easy on her in Baumbach’s blog.
YOU have, as they say on the streets, ripped her friggin head off and chit down her throat.
Well done Chris Botta, very well done.
I salute you.
mtrico, it might also be known as the move who killed her career. This is a voting issue for me, frankly the only local voting issue for me (I doubt anyone could screw up the local town services). I hope Kate Murray isn’t trying to obstruct the project, but rest assured I will never cast a single vote for someone who does. I’m sure I’m not the only one.
I think Ms Murray is gonna need a hug after she reads this blog entry.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING KATE!!
From two time zones away.
GIT IT DONE!!!
Please?
lay off Sarah Palin…I can just as easily say Murray sounds as dumb as Biden, who asks the wheelchair bound to get up out of their chairs or our new president who thought there were 57 states
She is kinda coming across as if she has no clue, however, we all know she knows exactly what’s what. She’s playing it safe for herself and that’s ok, maybe she doesn’t have all the things right in front of her, none of us here know that, there’s her side, there’s Wang’s side, and there’s the real story underneath it all. They’re not going to commit themselves to any answers, they’ll dance around the issues as long as they can.
I think her point about bettman was meant to say, he’s not her concern, her concern is the people an the community, by saying that she makes it seem that she doesn’t realize or understand who he is to the NHL, I think she’s in over her head.
It sounding more like offers an counter offers, he said, she said, and finger pointing.
At this stage of the game the best thing we can do is write our letters to the proper people expressing our thoughts in a respectful way, letting them know your support.
All Murray has done is reaffirm my belief that she is as incompetent as they come. When the Islanders leave, and trust me - no matter how much Chuckles wants to keep them here, he’s going to have no choice when the town is as clueless and inept as they are, it will be Kate Murray’s fault, and her fault alone.
For all of you readers who continue to support Murray, shame on you. Stop drinking the kool-aid and wake up.
Murray’s words about Bettman were ignorant. She doesn’t know it but her town is lucky the NHL and related money is still there as they don’t really deserve it.
im glad you brought all of the to light
wow lies and more lies …i like when these politicians get that selective meomry..i think then chris we should get that demonstration going like NOW
Rick:? I think you mis understood, the readers here that are writing letters are not to show support for Murray, it’s to show support for the Project, letting her know the community wants it, the fans want it, we’re not supporting her! We want her to know exactly what or how we feel, as the fans, and the people that go to concerts an shows there, or those that live near by are letting her know how they feel about the Lighthouse, what it means to the community, most are in support of it and want her to know.
We’re not in any way writing letters to support her. By the comments she’s made and her actions it tells me she’s in over her head on this.
It would be ridiculous for this project to die because of a lack of transportation options, given that most Nassau County politicians have fought both the idea of light rail around the entire hub zone — Roosevelt Field, Hofstra, etc. — and the proposal to put a third track through the heart of Nassau County. When actually presented with rail options, they reject them.
Dmarie, my comments were not geared towards any comments I’ve seen on this thread, but I guarantee someone who reads the blog is a Murray supporter. That’s who the comment was directed at.
Letter writing campaigns are completely useless, I hate to say. If you think she’ll ever actually see one of those letters, you’re fooling yourself. All you’ll get back is some standard form letter that one of her underlings will draw up.
Murray doesn’t give a rat’s ass about the Islanders or the Coliseum. She’s proven that by her inaction over the past 4 years and her insane comments in the above article. Why anyone would think she is finally going to ‘get it’ now is beyond me.
Sorry to be harsh, but it’s time we all wake up. With the leadership we currently have in Nassau & the Town of Hempstead, our Isles are as good as gone.
Thank God Gervais is finally out of the line up!!! Great read CB. Thanks for keeping us fans informed. This is more important than the game tonight or the line up. Although Gervais finally sitting is good news indeed!
I am constantly forced to examine the question of why in life and business are some things that are so simple made so complicated and perhaps never happen. In business if it would benefit both parties it should get done and fast but it often doesn’t. Why? People’s personalities. It appears Mz. Murray’s personality may be the largest issue that the Lighthouse faces.
I believe at this time Charles Wang and his partners need to go down there with “that NHL guy” and have a sit down with all parties involved with a new conference to immediatley follow. Just to ensure everyone is on the same page and to detail who needs to do what.
I think Charles is being too nice here. If another meeting doesn’t get the project moving ahead then it is time to really start a marketing campaign for the Lighthouse and against Mz. Murray.
If I lived in the area I’d have a I love the Lighthouse bumper sticker on my car and a similar sign on my lawn. Politicians seem to care more about their own agenda and their public perception more then what is right for the community and the people who live in it.
NOT moving ahead to the Lighthouse is something that hurts everyone. What possible reason could Mz. Murray have? Perhaps she doesn’t comprehend all that is going on and the true impact?
Anyone else wondering if Mz. Murray doesn’t know some developer friends who’d really like to develope the land around NVMC and that is why she keeps saying she offered him a stand alone arena renovation (jeez how freaking kind of you considering WANG is flipping most of the bill)? If she can convince him or wear him out into just doing the arena then he may lose his rights to redevelope the land around it that may go to one of her pals. It is the only thing that makes sense to me.
I know there has been a lot of letter writing and such but there has to be more we can do. Who else can we write to? Where else can we scream and yell? Any Ideas?
For those of you who think that it’s possible to vote the current Hempstead Town Supervisor out of office, think again. While other parts of the County have seen the light, the Town of Hempstead is so heavily Republican that a democrat has no shot to be elected Town Supervisor there. And as long as the incumbant remains in the good graces of the Party (bow down and genuflect), then the incumbant will remain the incumbant.
Oh Rick.. my bad, I’m sorry, I thought you were refering to those on here that were writing letters.
If you read what I said I tend to agree with most of what you said, but sometimes it does help to let your voice be heard.
I forget how long the terms were but I believe there’s a few years left and my guess would be if within that time frame things are still not moving forward we can probably kiss the Islanders franchise good-bye, but..I don’t really think in my heart of hearts that it will come to that,
at least I hope not.
Other then writing letters to let your voice be heard (sometimes it’s helpful) or attending any town meetings regarding the matter, there really isn’t much else we can do, except wait it out and hope for the best.
I don’t agree with any sort of conspiracy theories — born in frustration, I concede — that Kate Murray is dragging her heels on this because she’s tied in with another developer. I think it’s strictly politics: the Republicans in Hempstead don’t want to give Suozzi a victory, and there remains a strong NIMBY contingent in Nassau County that gets out and votes. There have been plenty of politicans who have gone down to defeat because of their support of building something. There are very few who go down to defeat for being against that same thing. NIMBY’s replacement is actually better: NIMTOO. It stands for Not in My Term of Office. Or BANANA: build absolutely nothing anywhere, near anything. It’s politically potent.
If this is truly not going forward because of party affiliations, then every single one of these clowns should be bounced at the next election. However, I don’t believe for a second that it’s that cut & dry. There is more to this then partisan politics, but we’ll never know the truth behind it all.
Here’s something people who feel like it can do - go to Murray’s office in person. She can’t duck her constituents forever, can she? At the very least, it’d make for some interesting stories.
Have to love LI. It was the evil republicans that are causing all of this!
Matt, I don’t know that you’re being sarcastic, and that you are in fact a Republican. But I am too. And I look at the disastrous Gulotta years, I look at the way Venditto has blocked everything proposed in Oyster Bay (including one by Wang), I look at the disgraceful way they have tried to politicize the assessment process in the county, and I look at Kate Murray, and increasingly, I find nothing attractive at all. It is not a party that is trying to lead us into the future. It is a party that is tied to the past, not just because it had controlled the county in the past, but because it wants us to BE in the past. Meanwhile, so much of the rest of the country, albeit sometimes screaming and kicking, is ready to move forward. I look at Suozzi and I see a guy who does want to move Nassau County ahead. I can’t say that about the GOP, and I’m a registered Republican.
CB
In this season of giving thanks I would like to take a moment out and give thanks to you and this website for giving Islander fans amazing access to the team in ways we have never had before. As a lifelong Islander fan since 1977 I know what it’s been like to try and find daily updates of my favorite team. For far too many years fans like me have been looking for a place to get our daily fix. In the past all we had was news from Newsday, news that most of the time we already knew about and week-old news from the Hockey News. I can’t tell you how nice it is to be able to go to your website every day, sometimes five times a day. Unfortunately because of the work I do I don’t have access to the internet during most days but on weekends, nights and days I am glued to your website. Thank You CB and please keep up the great work.
Jayk I consider myself Republican. Conservative with some variation from conservative beliefs. I was being sarcastic. Honestly I could probably know more about local politics than I do. Kind of sick of the Republican bashing that goes on in this state as a whole. Bit sensitive to it to be more exact. Took it as a jab, sorry if I mis-interpeted your post.
I get a kick out of anyone defending Sarah Palin. Regardless of your party affillition she’s an embarassment. I agree with Akeem on the Palin/Murray comparison. Tough talking, homespun sound bites does not a competent politician make.
Thanks for calling that phony Kate Murray out. If she had any B _ lls, she would have taken a stand on this project, instead she is just dragging her feet like the rest of the county.
If this project fails because of her, I can only hope we vote her out at the first chance!!
Friends: I know the Lighthouse thing is in part a political football, but let’s try to stay away from Sarah Palin and Republican-Democrat chat unrelated to the arena issue. Thanks…CB
28 Matt on Nov 26th, 2008 16:25:00 said: “I know there has been a lot of letter writing and such but there has to be more we can do. Who else can we write to? Where else can we scream and yell? Any Ideas?”
I honestly doubt that there have been as many letters as it would seem. I wish that there were many more than there have been. I know that Katrina (who runs the Lighthouse project) strongly encourages people to fill out the cards showing support for the project that they have at the kiosk at all Islanders home games. They can use those cards as a display of public support. Polite letters encouraging Kate Murray and the TOH to move along with the project are also a great thing to do. I worry that more people talk than actually do something.
correction: Katrina runs the Lighthouse project blog. (Sorry
)
good answers, bad answers, b.s. answers, political answers… at least we are getting some answers now and not silence
I wrote to Murray I believe Nick connected me to that site. I signed a petition and wrote a couple of other letters from other sites as well. I did not fill out one of those cards though. I’m usually rushing into the game, always seem to be time constrained. I will fill one out now! I know I(we) can do more, just feel like I’m not doing enough. I know someone had a bumper sticker idea which I didn’t think was a bad one. Just wondering if anyone had some different ideas maybe approach it from a different way?
Heh, I didn’t mean for my Palin comment to start a political war - I actually voted for Mccain, so I wasn’t taking a shot at her - my only point was, and this is where we leave the political realm, references like “That NHL guy” have no place crossing the lips of an elected official, in particular one who should be intimately involved with the goings on in the NHL, since the Islanders, more than any other NHL franchise (save for maybe Edmonton and Calgary), are defined by their locale and are the only act in town.
Let’s forget about this crap for the night and go out there and smoke Pittsburgh.
Yeah man!
Baumbach threw her a bunch of meatballs and thus we’ve learned nothing further about the project. Except the fact that it’s probably a lot further away from being a reality than anyone cares to admit. That being said why in the hell didn’t he refute any of her answers? For someone in her position, shouldn’t she have been held more accountable for knowing what the hell is going on here? It’s all a bad joke.
To think anyone actually voted for this bimbo is hard to believe. Hope she’s happy when the Islanders are forced to leave.
Preaching to the choir, CB! That’s the sort of invective that might light a fire under someone’s ass. Great to hear commentary and not partisan meandering on an issue that is sure to heat up in the next 8-12 weeks.
(I only deal in NHL injury timeframes)
CB, wouldn’t you think that Nassau would try to push this through as fast as it can? I mean, there’s a lot of people, especially construction works I know that do not have jobs because of the suffering economy. This project would create so many jobs..
And I noticed how much Colliton likes to throw his body around.. A couple games ago he threw about checks in about 10 seconds. I really like the kid.
I haven’t really noticed Gervais at all the past few games.. It might be a good idea to bench him.
CB, are you aware of any trade rumors? 8 men with one-way contracts.. Competition is good, but I think it would be difficult for a player to sit 5 or 6 games, then be ready to play when called upon.
Way to go long islanders! Why in the hell did you vote for this women? She lied about the offer to Wang 4 years ago and who the hell knows what else she’s lieing about. It seems like she is a bitter old betty who has never liked sports so she couldn’t care less about the Islanders. She obviously doesn’t see the big picture. The lighthouse project has more to do with bringing something exciting to ALL long islanders than it does with what it will do for the team. It would be a feather in her cap if she were to allow this to happen because it would put the town in a surplus for the first time in years and would create many jobs that would in turn boost the local economy. And I feel like I’m in the twighlight zone listening to this women! There are so many positives to getting this done and all she keeps talking about is the traffic it will create and the possibility of a few squirrels losing their homes! WTF?! The people in here standing up for her are equally annoying. If the Islanders move IT WILL BE KATE MURRAYS FAULT AND HER FAULT ALONE! I will be the first one with a pitch fork and torch in hand as we storm her house, who’s in?!
LOL, David, where did you see Kate Murray talk about squirrels? I must have missed it but I want to read it.
It’s going to a LONG, LONG time before the Isles add to the payroll. Nobody moves for Charlie or the Isles, nobody. So sad how meaningless Isles hockey has become. There’s 100-120 loud vocal die hards, the rest of LI couldn’t give a rat’s tush about the Isles and man does it show!