Nassau Coliseum iced by virus

Daily Point

Development key to future of Coliseum

The decision by Onexim Sports and Entertainment to close the Nassau Coliseum indefinitely might have been a shocker, but sources tell The Point it's not expected to derail the development there that is critical to Nassau County's future.

Those sources say they expect efforts to develop the land known as the Nassau Hub will move forward, with RXR Realty continuing to take the lead. 

What’s more, while the Coliseum’s short-term future remains uncertain, in part because of the pandemic, Nassau officials expect the county’s financial arrangements and the terms of its lease with Onexim, a company owned by Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov, to be upheld, by Onexim’s lenders if not by the company itself. The lease includes a minimum annual rent payment to the county of $4 million. Ultimately, Onexim hopes to find investors who will take on the lease. 

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—Randi F. Marshall @RandiMarshall

Talking Point

Absentee ballots could complicate NY primary

Primary night in New York? Try primary week. 

One hint of how complicated the vote counting will be for the June 23 pandemic primary is the increase in federal absentee ballot applications. 

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s effort to get absentee ballot applications in voters’ hands appears to have worked, including in tight Long Island congressional primaries. 

In the 1st Congressional District, 47,880 Democrats requested federal absentee ballots for the primary as of Monday. The vast majority of the requests were in the temporary-civilian request category expanded for the coronavirus pandemic. 

That’s compared with 3,748 total CD1 Democratic primary requests in 2018. 

In the 2nd Congressional District, which includes parts of Nassau and Suffolk counties, there were 36,730 total Democratic requests for absentee ballots for the primary as of Monday vs. 2,186 in 2018. That’s an almost 17-fold increase, again mostly covered by the new temporary-civilian requests, according to data from the county election boards. 

The 2nd Congressional District didn’t have a competitive primary in 2018 with Rep. Pete King on the ballot. However, lots of Republicans are requesting absentee ballots there, too, this year: 20,156 total across both counties. 

“The amount of paper we have coming back is unlike anything we’ve had in the past,” said Nassau Democratic elections commissioner James P. Scheuerman, adding in a text message that it will “undoubtedly take longer to count.”

He said Nassau purchased a high-speed scanner, which he expects to help. 

But in tight races, like these congressional primaries may turn out to be, don’t expect instant gratification. 

“And since the number of absentees is VERY likely to exceed the margin of victory after Early Voting+Primary day, the Board is unlikely to declare a winner until absentees (and affidavits) are counted,” Suffolk Republican elections commissioner Nicholas LaLota (newly back on the job after getting forced off the State Senate ballot) wrote to The Point. 

Both commissioners said absentee counting will begin July 1 since absentees can be received until June 30. 

“Depending on how many paper ballots there are, and how aggressive each side’s lawyers are with their objections,” said LaLota, “it may take between a few days and a few weeks to get a result.”

—Mark Chiusano @mjchiusano

Pencil Point

A big win

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Final Point

Garbarino weaponizes Pelosi in campaign

One ongoing campaign strategy for Republican congressional hopeful Andrew Garbarino: mention Nancy Pelosi. 

“Nancy Pelosi and the Democrat Machine are planning to spend millions on this race!” says one of the Bayport state assemblyman’s emails from March. 

“Make no mistake, Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats in Congress are politicizing this situation to boost their chances this fall,” said a campaign email from April. 

Democratic candidate Jackie Gordon was branded “Nancy Pelosi’s hand-picked liberal” in May. 

And on Tuesday, add in the socialism card: “Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats in Congress are going to pull out every stop to take this district and turn it into a socialist nightmare.”

It has become standard for Republicans nationwide to attack the House speaker, who occupies the enemy slot previously shared by Hillary Clinton on Fox and other conservative outlets. Recent polls show lots of GOP voter disdain for the prominent Californian — but the same polls indicate that Democrats are much more on board. 

Ergo the Pelosi-signed fundraising email sent for Gordon on Tuesday, which says, “As we fight to expand our Majority in 2020, I’m so excited to be working with candidates like Jackie Gordon to win key pick-up districts and expand my House Majority.”

Pelosi’s congressional committee contributed $4,000 to Gordon’s campaign in late February and Gordon is part of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s “Red to Blue” program. Rep. Pete King’s retirement means the 2nd Congressional District is part of the battleground for Democrats hoping to keep or expand their House majority. 

“NY-02 is finally an open seat,” the Pelosi email says. “Republicans and special interests have held a tight grip here, but finally, we have a chance to flip this district blue.”

Long Island was blessed with more national political attention than just Pelosi on Tuesday, however. President Donald Trump’s name graced a Tuesday fundraising email from Rep. Lee Zeldin’s campaign in which the president says Zeldin “has my total and complete endorsement.”

Trump drops a familiar name, too. Zeldin “is absolutely CRITICAL in our fight to defeat Crazy Nancy Pelosi and the rest of the Do-Nothing Democrats.”

—Mark Chiusano @mjchiusano