Myrna Suarez/Library of CongressDean Hart, a Long Island, New York resident currently running for New York State Assembly, just loves Billy Joel. How much does he love him? One of his campaign promises is to erect a statue of the Piano Man outside Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, New York, a venue that Billy’s played more than 30 times over the years.
In a press release, Hart announced that he would spend a million dollars to construct the marble statue outside the venue, which has been undergoing a multi-million dollar renovation. As previously reported, it’s scheduled to re-open April 5, 2017 with a Billy Joel concert.
“Next to Teddy Roosevelt, Long Island really doesn’t have a more famous or popular person than Billy Joel,” Hart said in a statement. “I can’t think of a better way to unite Long Islanders than by erecting this marbled monument before Billy opens up the new Coliseum in April.”
“Philadelphia has Sylvester Stallone, Memphis has Elvis, it’s about time Long Island got a statue to take pride in,” Hart added. “And the fact that Billy would still be alive to enjoy it with all of us is even better.”
However, Hart also is using his love of Billy Joel as a weapon against his opponent, Michael Montesano. In the same press release, he says that Montesano, the Republican incumbent, has failed to pass legislation to re-name a part of a local road after Billy.
“My opponent is either impotent or is simply not trying, because everyone loves Billy Joel,” states Hart. “No wonder Albany is a mess: our representative can’t do something as simple as renaming a small portion of a road in Billy Joel’s backyard, where there’s near universal support.”
According to Politico, Montesano has argued that it’s Hart’s fellow Democrats who won’t allow the proposal through, mostly because Billy is still alive.
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