LIA backs Mangano's Coliseum plan

Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano's plan for the county-owned land around the Coliseum got a much warmer reception from the Long Island Association than it did from the developers' group the Association for a Better Long Island.

Mangano appeared Wednesday before about 42 of the LIA's 60 board members, said LIA president Kevin Law. "We said keeping the Islanders on Long Island is a priority, and we support a destination center for Long Island," said Law. "It sounded like a much different meeting" than on Thursday, when Mangano came before about 30 members of the ABLI.

ABLI members objected over the issue of who has the right to develop the property -- Islanders owner Charles Wang, or another developer, through a new county-issued request-for-proposals.

A new Coliseum could serve as a destination center for other events when not in use by the hockey team, Law said.