Andrew Lanza Takes Deputy Leader Role in State Senate PUBLISHED 5:05 PM ET Dec. 22, 2020 PUBLISHED 5:05 PM EST Dec. 22, 2020
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Sen. Andrew Lanza has been tapped to become the deputy minority leader in the Republican conference in the state Senate, Minority Leader Robert Ortt on Tuesday announced.
“Senator Lanza is the perfect partner to lead our Senate Republican Conference forward, Ortt said. He is a seasoned prosecutor and will be a strong and articulate defender of our members’ values in the same way he has been for his constituents on Staten Island. He has consistently stood up for individual freedom, small business, our law enforcement, and against Bill de Blasio and his socialist allies.
Capitol Confidential By Chris Bragg on December 22, 2020 at 3:30 PM
Sen. Andrew Lanza (New York Senate website)
Lanza, a former assistant district attorney in Manhattan, represents a district encompassing most of Staten Island, and is one of the few elected Republicans left in New York City.
The appointments follow a Nov. 3 election that that seemed promising for Senate Republicans in the immediate aftermath, but after absentee ballots were counted over the course of weeks, resulted in Democrats in fact picking up three seats, and gaining a history veto-proof majority of 43 out of 63.
Lanza gives leadership of the GOP conference a downstate presence; he replaces state Sen. Joe Griffo, who represents a Utica-area district, and recently stepped down as deputy. The leader of the conference, Robert Ortt, hails from a Western New York district.
Cuomo: ‘There is no reason’ for Staten Island to have the city’s highest COVID positivity rate
Updated Dec 21, 2020;
Posted Dec 21, 2020
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo provides a coronavirus update from the Red Room at the State Capitol on Friday, Dec. 18, 2020. (Mike Groll/Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo)Mike Groll/Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo
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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday continued his criticism of Staten Islanders’ attitude toward the pandemic, and declined to identify a politician he’s used to embody those sentiments.
The governor said “there is no reason” for Staten Island to have the city’s highest 7-day average percent positivity for COVID-19 testing of 5.44%, citing its lower density and use of public transit.
Bars Refuse To Close: More Businesses Ignore Lockdown As COVID Cases Rise
KEY POINTS
State restrictions led to public protests in some cases
CDC puts indoor dining in the high-risk category for COVID-19
A bar owner in Minnesota said remaining open in defiance of lockdown orders is about staying in business. It s just one of many trying to stay afloat as the economic destruction from the pandemic rages on.
Lisa Monet Zarza, the co-owner of the Alibi Drinkery in the suburbs of Minneapolis-Saint Paul, told The Washington Post on Friday she was staying open in defiance of state restrictions on indoor dining. She was sued earlier this week by the state attorney general for breaking the rules.
Cuomo continues COVID-19 focus on Staten Island, takes swipe at unnamed local politician
Updated Dec 16, 2020;
Posted Dec 16, 2020
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo provides a coronavirus update from the Red Room at the State Capitol on Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020. (Mike Groll/Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo)Mike Groll/Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo
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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. Politics, politics, politics.
That was Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s response Wednesday when asked about some Staten Island Republicans calling for his executive authority to be reined in regarding the state’s response to the pandemic.
“This is the fact . Staten Island has the highest infection rate in New York City,” the governor said before going on to explain that the borough doesn’t have the same population concerns as the rest of the city. “I focus on the parts of the state that have the worst problem.”