Where is Suffolk

We have heard from Nassau, Queens, and Brooklyn in the past several months, but what happen to Suffolk.  Ever since Steve Bellone has become County Executive not a whisper of talks between the two has been heard.  There are two ways this can be interpreted.

1) Suffolk County is too cash strap to offer the Islanders a deal, so the two sides haven't been talking.

2) Suffolk County and Charles Wang are in talks and the two sides are keeping everything under wraps, since Wang wants a media blackout.  The reason why Wang would want a media blackout with any serious negotiation is the belief that he has that the media played a major role in killing the Lighthouse.  So the question is while Nassau Democrats and Republicans are fighting and Brooklyn is talking about the potential of their arena to the public is something really going on behinds the scenes in Suffolk.

At this point of time it still looks like it will be Brooklyn or out of New York for the Islanders, but if there was ever a dark horse in this race it has been Suffolk County.  The question is if their silence speaks volumes or not.

Nassau Rehashes an Old Plan

Instead of coming up with a new idea for the the Nassau Hub and saving the Islanders, Nassau County and Ed Mangano rehash an old plan.  They want private development to save the team and developm the land without public money.

From Newsday:

In another attempt to keep the Islanders , Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano is seeking a developer to coordinate the construction of a new or renovated arena, along with housing and retail, on the land around Nassau Coliseum .

But team officials did not return calls for comment, and it remains unclear whether they support Mangano's latest plan. Islanders owner Charles Wang has said his team will not stay in the current arena past 2015, when his lease expires, and that he is evaluating other possible locations.

To jump-start the new arena effort, Nassau County is expected Monday to release a Request for Qualifications seeking a "master developer" for the Nassau Hub property. The winning developer would be required to "immediately begin negotiations" with the Islanders and the arena's management, Pennsylvania -based SMG, the RFQ is expected to say.

The goal, Mangano said, is to make up the difference between what Wang is willing to pay as the Coliseum's tenant and the total price tag of a new or renovated arena. The plan does not detail how much Wang would contribute. No county money is involved, Mangano said.

"There's 10 years of data, there's 10 years of public input, there's 10 years of no's," Mangano said in an interview. "Now's the time for us to come together and collectively end the island of no and go forward with the island of yes. That's what the RFQ is intended to do."

If the Islanders leave, the winning developer would have to come up with an alternative.

Islanders senior vice president Michael Picker did not return calls for comment last week.

 http://mobile.newsday.com/inf/infomo;JSESSIONID=703656FED317F950FDD7.3239?site=newsday&view=top_stories_item&feed%3Aa=newsday_1min&feed%3Ac=topstories&feed%3Ai=1.3825413&nopaging=1

This plan is flawed to begin with, considering we already know that Kate Murray's zoning makes it impossible for a developer to make a profit with an arena in the plans.  Most likely people will put in RFPS so they can have the the land   if or when the Islanders leave.  Since it will become the responsibility of the winning developer to come up with alternatives for the site if the Islanders decide to leave the hub.  Instead of coming up with a new plan Nassau has returned to an already failed one.