But both alternatives were rejected by the Legislature’s presiding officer, Peter Schmitt, a Republican from Massapequa, who had the support of hundreds of union workers who rallied with Mangano on the steps of the Legislature.

Where were the Republicans, suddenly gung-ho about this latest plan for the Coliseum, when the Lighthouse was proposed? Didn’t unions need work then, too?

Our county representatives should evaluating this proposal objectively. Why authorize a referendum now when we won’t even know how much money the county expects to see from the proposed revenue-sharing with the Islanders until mid-June, at the earliest? Legislators should be asking the hard questions that need answers before proposing a resolution, never mind a history-making referendum.

A new Coliseum, while it would be a solid plus, is not all the county Hub needs. A hub is a center around which everything else revolves. Do we really want the geographic and commercial center of our county to be an arena and a ball field? The area needs much more nuanced development.

And even if taxpayers agree to borrow $400 million and this project eventually gets completed, what will we have on the property? A replacement arena and another minor league baseball team on Long Island. These are hardly engines of sustainable economic growth, nor do they represent iconic regional attractions that would translate into new visitors, new businesses and new long-term employment for Nassau County. That’s what we need.

There’s no denying that shorter-term construction jobs would help county laborers and related tradesmen and their families, and that in turn would help fill the county’s coffers with sales tax revenue. We are not dismissing those as positive accomplishments. But development at the Hub needs long-term vision, and we don’t see the promised grand improvement in this unspecific plan. More of the same is not what Nassau County needs.