New York Islanders: Fate Now Rests in Hands of Anti-Islanders Group

This will be a rather long winded article. For once I will be offering some of my own thoughts instead of being as objective as possible, so please bear with me.

According to Newsday:

A group of four developers belonging to the "Association for Better Long Island" were meeting with county officials to head up development of the Nassau Coliseum area in a privately financed fashion. The group has made it very clear that if they should be given the okay for development investing that they will plan to develop with or without the Islanders stating:

"The hub without the Islanders can be an economic engine also"

This is resoundingly insane, seeing as these are the same developers and men that this very summer—funded the Anti-Referendum campaign. They were able to raise just enough negative and uneducated publicity to attract voters to shoot down the proposal.

History between these men and the Coliseum goes further back than one would expect. They were the chief competitors in bidding against Charles Wang for development rights of the area when Mr.Wang bought the team (Mr.Wang won the bid). 

Since then, these same developers have continued their efforts to rain on any of the plans Mr.Wang has had. County Executive Ed Mangano has been in talks with these men recently, and it seems likely the contract will be awarded to the same developers when the green light is given for outside development (expected to be very soon).

Sensing a trend?

Whenever this group of developers was unable to somehow benefit from this land being developed by someone else, they have done whatever they possibly could to stop outside investing from occurring.

They had bid against Mr.Wang for development rights, and then headed up their own plan when Mr.Wang's lighthouse was shot down the first time (which their plan failed for them as well). Following that, they financed and led the campaign against the August referendum.

So, it seemingly is, that a group of four developers that have consistently been a thorn in Mr.Wang's side for nothing more of a reason than a personal vendetta—over being outbid and left out of the loop in the development. They are now attempting, yet again, to get their hands on the land.

Ironically, since Mr.Wang was the winning bidder of the development rights, he has the last say. This means that even if all plans for development by this group are approved by Nassau County and the Town of Hempstead—Mr.Wang still has the ability to refuse the development of the area until his lease expires in 2015.

Perhaps, it would be wise for Mr.Wang to allow these men to develop the new arena and work their plans without committing the team anywhere (which shouldn't be a problem seeing as this group has no need for the Islanders). Then he can decide for himself, which arena is best suited for the future of the Islanders—between the Nassau Coliseum and Barclay's Center in Brooklyn.

In all honesty, without the Islanders and all of the business Mr.Wang brings to the coliseum in the form of shows and concerts, what will be there?

Frankly, absolutely nothing.

I don't know about the rest of you, but I can only go to so many car shows and boat exhibitions. Beyond that, if Nassau really ends up without the Islanders because of their own political quarreling, I won't be caught spending a nickel in the coliseum—new building or not.