A casino for your thoughts

Daily Point

Gambling on poll results

A detailed poll that went out to some Nassau County residents this week may shed some light on the upcoming effort to site three casinos in the downstate region.

In one of the most interesting questions of the lengthy online poll, residents are asked to choose among four potential sites as to which would be “the best location to develop a new entertainment resort with a casino.”

The choices: The Nassau Coliseum property, UBS Arena at Belmont Park, Jones Beach, or the Sunrise Mall property in Massapequa.

The poll, which came via text, asked only a few political questions, seeking favorability ratings of Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman and Gov. Kathy Hochul, and whether the county was going in the right direction. But the vast majority of the questions attempted to gauge opinion on whether a full-scale casino would be welcome in Nassau County and what any potential roadblocks might be.

Those who took the survey were asked whether they had been to other attractions, including Resorts World at Aqueduct and Jake’s 58 in Islandia, and entertainment spots like UBS Arena, the Paramount in Huntington, and the Theater at Westbury, and whether Jake’s 58, which offers VLTs, “has helped or hurt Long Island.”

It inquires whether residents support or oppose a “world-class entertainment resort with a casino in Nassau County,” and asks about a variety of potential amenities a casino resort could have, including public open space, a sports complex available to local youth leagues, family attractions like a petting zoo, cultural attractions like a museum or Broadway shows, events spaces, restaurants by celebrity chefs, movie theaters, indoor skydiving or drone racing, a sports bar, brewery, wine tasting room or nightclub, or a “lush nature conservatory and botanical garden, where the public can enjoy seasonal outdoor attractions with everything from spring-time cherry blossoms to a winter festival and ice palace.”

And the poll asked about the potential community benefits a casino resort could bring to Nassau County, including park improvements; thousands of jobs; the construction of a new police precinct, bus or shuttle service; and the economic impact, including $100 million in local taxes and county revenue and $1 billion in state revenue, “which would lower property taxes for homeowners.”

The poll tests arguments both for and against a new casino resort. In support it lists: more tax revenue or the danger of losing tax revenue to other neighboring counties if a resort doesn’t come to Nassau, the idea that Nassau County could become a vacation destination, the creation of an “environmentally-green development,” and the idea that the project could “clean up blighted areas and provide funding for more police to deter crime and keep residents safe.”

Among the cons, the poll looks at the danger of addiction; the potential loss to existing small businesses; additional crime, prostitution or drug use; the possibility of increased traffic; a negative impact on infrastructure and natural resources; and the possibility that a casino “would change the residential and suburban character of Nassau County for the worse.”

Although the poll asked lots of questions, it didn’t answer perhaps the biggest question: Who produced the poll — and how will it be used?

— Randi F. Marshall @RandiMarshall

Talking Point

So you want to be a poll inspector

The email from the Suffolk County Republican Committee started off innocuously.

“Become a Poll Inspector,” said the Wednesday message, referring to the temporary workers who help run election sites in New York. “We need dedicated Republicans to work this Election Day!”

The email went on to describe the pay, a paid seminar provided by the Board of Elections, and a form to fill out. Then, things turned more partisan.

“Democrats are constantly coming up with sneaky ways to invalidate your votes,” the message alleged. It cited “a Democrat Millionaire from Maryland parachuting in trying to take away OUR CONGRESSIONAL SEATS!”

The final phrasing — before a donation button — was “WE WILL NOT LET THESE DEMOCRATS STEAL OUR VOTES!”

The Point asked Suffolk GOP chairman Jesse Garcia for more information about this email.

Garcia said that the note in general was meant to “secure a strong number of involved voters to be inspectors.” The wealthy Democrat from afar was a reference to Michelle Bond, the cryptocurrency trade group leader who with her partner owns multiple residences. She lost in the CD1 Republican primary to the party-endorsed candidate, Nick LaLota, and the email criticized her effort even in defeat: “These primaries [sic] sole intent is to drain our funding and make us weak in the general election against their socialist comrades.”

And as for the alleged “sneaky ways to invalidate your votes,” Garcia said the email was nodding at changes to election laws and practices in New York that the GOP felt were made by the Democratic-controlled legislature for Democratic benefit. Those shifts included changes to the way absentee ballots can be challenged and the inability to vote on the machines on Election Day if voters have already been issued a mail-in ballot.

Democrats often say that these and other planned overhauls to the state election system can speed the count and make voting easier.

Garcia said there was a good response to the email, and that the party is always looking to get more people involved in the electoral process: “The more inspectors, the better.”

— Mark Chiusano @mjchiusano

Pencil Point

Going for broker

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Pointing Out

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Endorsements are a tradition at Newsday that dates to our founding in 1940, and they make this the busiest part of our year as we interview the candidates seeking your vote. Again this year, we are releasing our picks in 41 races to your inbox before they are published in print.

This series of newsletters will feature our endorsements in the critical congressional midterm contests where control of the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives will be determined. New York voters will also choose a governor, attorney general, and comptroller and members of the Long Island delegation in the Albany legislature. The Suffolk County comptroller and clerk are also on the ballot, and we will evaluate one bond proposal and a referendum in three East End towns.

Don’t miss out, sign up for our endorsements newsletter here: https://www.newsday.com/newsletters/signup/endorsements

— Amanda Fiscina-Wells @adfiscina

Programming Point

The Point will be back Tuesday, Oct. 11.