Lighthouse letter: Is it politics, or hockey or...

Nassau Democrats with an eye for politics saw more than the Lighthouse Project when they read a recent letter from Town of Hempstead Councilman Anthony Santino.

Santino sent out a letter to residents of his district saying he supported a scaled-down version of the project, which would include a major renovation of the Coliseum for the Islanders.

An Islanders-friendly blog had this to say about the letter: “Essentially what Santino is doing is paving the way for Hempstead’s inevitable slashing of the project in June by two-thirds. The timing of Santino’s letter, after the recent double-dip of news of the Shinnecock Casino followed by the Islanders playing ball with the Mets, is not coincidental.”

Some Democrats think Santino is raising his profile in preparation for filling the shoes of Town Supervisor Kate Murray, a fellow Republican, if she runs for surrogate this fall — although Murray flatly denies she has any interest in the judgeship.

“Is he acting Supervisor-like to prepare the way when Kate leaves?” one Democrat asked. It was a rhetorical question.