Thursday, October 1, 2026
The public is called upon to pay for large projects for the good of all of us all the time. Who argues when a bridge needs to be replaced or a sewer system rebuilt? We accept them, because those who understand the need are trusted to know. We call it "public trust." But what about less-immediate needs, such as a convention center? Here the great debate begins. The logistics of getting people to a destination, then keeping them there, are only two problems.
The European cathedrals we admire today were, for centuries, surrounded by mud huts housing craftsman, cooks, etc., who gave their lives to build these edifices, only to watch them collapse and need to be rebuilt, since the engineering was primitive. Labor was cheap. Material was plentiful. Not so today. These days we must plan, design and develop economic models, transportation models, political simulations, financial projections - even public-relations plans.
We have been sold issues such as public pride, economic development, spinoff benefits to housing development, business attraction, etc. But in our haste, has a long-range regional plan really been explored thoroughly? Is there wiggle room for worst-case scenarios, such as droves of people fleeing the area, increases in crime, floods and storms? When a developer proposes a tall building, we must look critically at all the surrounding issues. Who will use the building, locals or long-distance travelers? How will they get there? Will they want to come back if they find it difficult? Will they spend their money in the region, or just at the destination? Considering the fact that taxis at the airports go to the city and not Nassau County, that bus transfers are necessary, that rail lines are indirect and also require confusing transfers, transportation problems are a good place to start. Should we expect choked New York City bridges to provide the main link to Long Island?
Does the Long Island population want to be accessible? Even our college campuses need to be part of the equation. We put a lot of money into education, yet our inaccessibility means that our world-class universities are under-accessed and, unfortunately, ignored. So I'm for planned development, but look at the Roosevelt Raceway area. It was a great opportunity that turned into compartmentalized shopping centers and housing, unconnected to each other, causing traffic problems it could have solved and created limited-destination experiences. All things are connected, for better or worse. Planned wisely, thoroughly and with long-range flexibility, they'll be better. That's what I support.
