State Senate, 24th District: Andrew Lanza

 

Tuesday, October 31, 2006

 

When the legislative seat that has been held for a half century by one man comes open, there's bound to be an electoral free-for-all for the position. That's exactly what happened when state Sen. John Marchi, the longest-serving state legislator in U.S. history, announced his retirement earlier this year.

An early favorite was Robert Helbock, the county Republican Party chairman at the time who was Sen. Marchi's longtime legal counsel and knows his way around Albany as well as anyone. We thought he was the clear front-runner in the race to succeed his boss in what some have called "The Marchi Seat."

But Mr. Helbock had to contend with a factionalized Republican Party in the borough, and second-term South Shore Councilman Andrew Lanza emerged as the favorite of the faction led by Rep. Vito Fossella.

Mr. Lanza narrowly won the Republican primary last month, but Mr. Helbock vowed to stay in the race as the Conservative Party candidate.

That set up a most interesting three-way race among Mr. Lanza, Mr. Helbock and Democrat Matthew Titone, the son of the late Civil Court Judge Vito Titone, who is a newcomer to the political arena but certainly not to the world of Staten Island politics.

It promised to be a down-to-the-wire battle, with Mr. Helbock and Mr. Lanza splitting the Republican and Conservative vote and Mr. Titone holding his own in the middle.

Mr. Helbock disappointed many Staten Islanders, Republican and Democrat alike, when he dropped out of the race soon after his primary defeat.

Charles Pistor, a retired Department of Defense employee, was chosen as his 11th-hour replacement to carry the Conservative Party banner in the race.

We would have had a hard decision to make in our endorsement in the race as it originally shaped up. Now, the choice is clear.

Andrew Lanza is by far the most experienced lawmaker of the group. More important than that, he has demonstrated his commitment to protecting the interests of the people he serves time and again in his years in the Council.

Mr. Lanza, a buttoned-down former prosecutor, has shown a surprising combativeness, especially in his second term, having taken on both Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Borough President James Molinaro.

His opposition to the proposed NASCAR track in Bloomfield has, at times, been more ferocious than what it needed to be, we've thought. And his rancor toward the Franciscan Handmaids of the Most Pure Heart of Mary in the dispute over the order's sale of the Camp St. Edward property to a developer was over the top, we thought.

Still, there is no questioning his sincerity and thoroughness in tending to the needs of his constituents. We have no doubt that as the state senator who represents most of Staten Island, he would continue to be a forceful and effective advocate for this borough.

And we must acknowledge his statesmanship in brokering a solid waste management deal between the Bloomberg administration and Council Democrats, including his Staten Island colleague, Michael McMahon.

It helped put in place an important long-term agreement for the city, and it may have been his finest hour. We look for more of the same should he be elected to the state Senate.

Mr. Titone, though a newcomer, has brought fine new ideas and a sense of optimism about government that we find refreshing. While we don't think he's ready for the rough-and-tumble of the state legislature, we think he's enhanced the debate in this race and done remarkably well for a first-time campaigner.

Similarly, Mr. Pistor has a down-to-earth, commonsense approach to issues that, while not alone enough to commend him to voters, perhaps, has raised the level of debate in this race.

All things considered, Mr. Lanza remains the best choice for Staten Island. He's smart and savvy, knows the issues backward and forward and has shown ever-greater leadership as he's grown in the Council.

We think he'll be a fine addition to Staten Island's state legislative delegation and we hope Staten Islanders support him a week from today.

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