A rare sighting: Romaine and Blakeman at a political event Tuesday

Daily Point

County execs to hold joint news conference against Dems' even-year election switch

 Despite both being Republicans, the current county executives of Nassau and Suffolk have never presented a united front on local or national issues or even fostered any sense that they rally around the same flag.

Tuesday afternoon should be different.

Suffolk’s Edward P. Romaine and Nassau’s Bruce Blakeman, who are poles apart on their public personas, political philosophies and governing styles, will appear at their first ever joint news conference at the village hall in Farmingdale, a location that straddles both counties.

So what’s that important to bring "Steady Eddie" and "Brimstone Bruce" together in one photo op? It’s the dates of local elections. No, really. It's a hot topic that influences the fates of local officeholders even as most voters are unaware of the consequences.

The state law changing town and county election years was engineered in 2023 by Democrats, who control all state offices. Last week, an appellate court in Buffalo responded to one of the GOP challenges by upholding the law that moves many local elections, including those of town supervisors and county executives, to even years. Those are the years of congressional and presidential races that typically have higher Democratic turnout. And the ads of those electioneering for the White House, Congress or Albany would drown out the local suburban issues that have usually favored Republicans.

The news conference is another tent pole supporting the recurrent GOP message that Albany Democrats bigfoot local decision-making including on such issues as when town highway superintendents are chosen.

"Voters will find 50 names on the ballot, it will be exhausting," Romaine told The Point. "It nationalizes the election, local issues should stay local," he said.

If the law survives court challenges — both counties are plaintiffs but in different lawsuits — and remains in place, the Nassau executive race, for example, will be on the ballot in 2028, a presidential year, instead of 2029, and the Suffolk executive race will be held in 2030 instead of 2031. Overall, Republicans are complaining that local races, instead of driving the train in the odd years, are now the caboose. And the GOP is not wrong. Newsday’s editorial board twice criticized the shift, in July 2023 after it was passed with little notice and then when we urged Gov. Kathy Hochul on Nov. 30, 2023, not to sign it.

So enjoy the moment; it’s unlikely considering their views and styles that there will be more Romaine-Blakeman get-togethers in the future.

— Rita Ciolli rita.ciolli@newsday.com

Talking Point

Hub development moves forward with casino question looming

The Nassau Hub is on the agenda for the next meetings of both the Nassau County Legislature and the Hempstead Town board — even as no one seems to know whether the Hub is a location that will be pitched by bidders for a downstate casino license next month.

At the end of the Hempstead Town board’s agenda for its meeting Tuesday is a resolution calling for a public hearing, scheduled for May 27, to address proposed zoning changes that would create an "integrated resort district" at the Hub. Two hearings — at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. — will take place that day, according to the resolution. According to town attorney John Maccarone, the May 27 hearing will include a presentation from "the developer" on the zoning change and time for public comment.

The resolution kicks off the town’s zoning process. The proposed zone establishes a lengthy list of permitted uses for the Hub, including gaming facilities, restaurants, hotels, theaters, spas, office space, research and development laboratories, entertainment uses, a convention center, supermarket, stadium or arena, medical center, day care facility and housing.

The proposed zone would allow nonresidential buildings, other than hotels, to be up to 50 feet tall in most cases, though some buildings on larger lots could go up to 100 feet. Hotels could be up to 280 feet tall.

Meanwhile, the county legislature is moving forward with the state environmental review process. At the legislature’s May 19 meeting, it will take up a resolution that adopts and officially files the final environmental impact statement, or FEIS, for the Hub property. County lawmakers will vote on whether the FEIS fully responds to previous comments and satisfies state review requirements. That vote kicks off another written comment period. The legislature will then need to meet again, likely in June, to address any of the comments received and to officially issue the FEIS.

The activity comes just weeks after Las Vegas Sands officially announced it would not bid for a downstate casino license. But sources have told The Point that Sands is in conversations with another company that might bid instead. Since then, however, Sands has been quiet — and it’s unclear where those conversations have led.

Downstate casino bids are due June 27.

— Randi F. Marshall randi.marshall@newsday.com

Pencil Point

ICE sees the signs

For more cartoons, visit www.newsday.com/maynationalcartoons

Quick Points

The price is too darn high

• Long Island had the nation’s fourth-largest year-over-year percentage increase in median home sale prices, according to the National Association of Realtors. Good that NAR did the study but LI homebuyers already knew the reality.
• The warm reception that has greeted the ascension of Pope Leo XIV has been ascribed at least in part to the fact that Catholics around the world don’t see him as a typical American. Which is kind of funny because Americans don’t agree on what constitutes a typical American.
• In explaining the Trump administration considering suspending the writ of habeas corpus to make it easier to deport immigrants who wouldn’t be able to exercise their constitutional right to challenge their removals, White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller said, "Look, a lot depends on whether the courts do the right thing." He’s correct, but not in the way he thinks.
• Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick says he expects a 10% tariff to be the baseline for the foreseeable future, adding, "But don’t buy the silly arguments that the U.S. consumer pays." Since when did "silly" become a synonym for absolutely, positively correct?
• A Bay Shore man riding a motorcycle was killed Sunday morning in a collision with a car turning left. How many motorcycle riders or other motorists have to be killed by drivers turning left before we realize this is a big problem?
• She was a Long Island stalwart for civil rights who worked with activists like James Farmer and Hazel Dukes; became a founding board member, donor and fundraiser for ERASE Racism; and brought decency, optimism and commitment to every cause she supported before passing Saturday at age 97. RIP, Marge Rogatz.

— Michael Dobie michael.dobie@newsday.com

Subscribe to The Point here and browse past editions of The Point here.