Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano cast his vote Monday in favor of building a new arena to replace the aged, outdated Nassau Coliseum.
He said he was hopeful other residents were doing the same.
"I feel very positive about how people are voting today," Mangano said after casting his vote on the referendum at John F. Kennedy Middle School in Bethpage.
While some voters seemed to side with Mangano Monday, there remained plenty of naysayers -- voters who said there's no way taxpayers should fund a new arena.
The single-issue referendum asks residents to decide whether they want the county to borrow up to $400 million for construction of a new arena, a minor league baseball park and other economic development projects in the 77-acre Nassau Hub area. The critical vote will determine the fate of the 39-year-old Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum and the Islanders, Long Island's only major-league sports franchise.
"Our taxes are high enough," Aleta Lundy, 63, of Farmingdale, said after voting against the referendum at JFK. "It's not a necessity. The Islanders should pay for it themselves. They have enough money . . . I'm living on a fixed income. Anything's too much."
And Marilyn Chicoine, 79, of Bethpage, also voting at the school, said she voted against the referendum.
"Once they put up taxes they never come down again."
The polls opened at 6 a.m., the future of the coliseum, the Islanders and, perhaps, the county's economy at stake.
There are 362 voting locations across the county, including schools, libraries and firehouses. Those polls will close at 9 p.m. Voters will use electronic machines inaugurated by the county last year.
There are nearly 900,000 registered voters in Nassau.
Proponents have pegged a new arena as an essential cog in spurring economic development throughout the cash-strapped county and in creating 3,000 new permanent jobs.
"The downside is that Nassau County has enough debt on its hands without having to build something that's not absolutely necessary," said Seymour Lifshitz of Bellmore, who voted "No" at the Saw Mill Road Elementary School in North Bellmore. "There's already 2,000 people working at the Coliseum -- and a thousand more won't make much of a difference."
Calling the vote "a referendum on the health of Nassau County," another North Bellmore resident, Paule Pachter, said he voted "Yes."
"It's important for the Nassau County economy," Pachter said. "It's not about the Islanders. It's tremendous for entertainment and a valuable piece of property. It brings jobs to Nassau . . . They're not high-paying jobs, but in this economy they're still jobs."
Last week, Mangano said it was important for residents to vote yes because, "It's an opportunity to build an economic base; to create jobs again. To have sales tax revenue; have a new revenue source and have it maintain a quality of life."
Opponents warn of property tax hikes and note that the borrowing over its 30-year life would cost some $800 million.
"This is a one-sided lease agreement that allows Charles Wang, a private individual, to profit," said Mark Hamer, a board member of the Association for a Better Long Island, a real estate group opposed to the project. "It should not be publicly financed."
The county would retain all development rights for the acreage around the Coliseum.
Any future development must include the construction of a parking garage to replace any parking spaces lost to development. County officials said the garage could cost more than $160 million.
The proposal would keep the Islanders in Nassau until at least 2045. Wang has said the team will leave when its lease expires in 2015 if a new arena is not built. "I want to push this thing through," he said. " . . . I've got to get this thing built. If not, let's go on."
Mangano has said without an anchor tenant, the Coliseum would close, taking with it 2,600 jobs. The shortfall in sales tax revenue from a shuttered Coliseum would necessitate a $16 property tax increase, a county consultant said.
The referendum would allow the county to borrow up to $350 million for a new Coliseum and up $50 million for a minor league baseball park at Mitchel Field, to be occupied by a new Independent League team owned by Frank Boulton, owner of Suffolk County's Long Island Ducks.
County officials have said the baseball park would likely cost around $25 million, leaving another $25 million available for Hub development.
"It's time for a change," Vickie Eason, 52, of Freeport, said after voting "Yes" at the Caroline G. Atkinson School in Freeport. "From the look of it [the Coliseum], it needs renovation."
But Philip Jimenez, 61, of Freeport, said: "It irks me that it's Nassau County property and you have to pay to park."
The county will finance the project through general obligation bonds. The average Nassau homeowner would see an increase in property taxes of roughly $58 per year -- 3.5 to 4 percent -- according to the Nassau Interim Finance Authority, a state monitoring board that controls Nassau's finances.
However, the nonpartisan Office of Legislative Budget Review said that if the county uses the revenue from a revenue-sharing agreement with the Islanders to lower Nassau property tax rate, the cost per average homeowner could be as little as $13.80 a year.
Wang will pay for all costs to the arena above $350 million, the lease states. If construction exceeds $375 million, the Islanders could pay the cost overruns, walk away or go back and change the plan.
The lease provides Nassau a minimum of $14 million -- or 11.5 percent of all revenue from inside the Coliseum, including ticket sales, concessions, parking and merchandise.
The deal also includes revenue from all concerts, family shows and non-hockey events. The agreement, however, does not include revenue from the team's lucrative cable deal.
The revenue will go into the county's general fund where Mangano said it will be utilized to pay down Nassau's debt.
If the referendum is approved, it would next go before the 19-member Nassau County Legislature which would require a supermajority of 13 members, including at least two Democrats, to guarantee passage. NIFA also must approve the lease agreement and bonding.
If the deal passes all three hurdles, construction on a new arena could begin in June 2012. If the referendum is defeated, it remains to be seen if Wang will move the Islanders.
Mangano, meanwhile, has said he has a "Plan B" for the property but would not discuss it until after the vote.
"If you have kids or if you're going to have kids there's got to be entertainment here," Janet Nelson of Bellmore said as she left the polling place at Saw Mill Road Elementary, where she voted "Yes."
"I can't afford a train ticket every time I want to go see something . . . If this jump starts the economy, then way to go," Nelson said.
Another voter, Stafford Grant, 50, of Freeport, said the county "is ridiculously overtaxed." He voted no.
"Charles Wang, what he has in his 401k is what I'll make in my entire life . . . If they're going to build something, let them [the team] finance it," Stafford said.
