Lanza accuses foe of supporting proposed track

State Senate candidate slams Helbock for backing bill that he perceives as favorable to NASCAR

Sunday, August 27, 2006

By SALLY GOLDENBERG

ADVANCE STAFF WRITER

Andrew Lanza, a candidate for state Senate on Staten Island, brought the proposed NASCAR track into the heated campaign yesterday by accusing his opponent in the GOP primary of supporting the raceway.

Lanza, a South Shore Republican City Councilman, slammed Robert Helbock for supporting a transportation bill that he perceives as favorable to NASCAR, although the legislation does not mention the 80,000-seat track planned for Bloomfield.

Helbock, a longtime legislative aide to retiring Republican state Sen. John Marchi, has stated his opposition to the controversial NASCAR proposal and contended that Marchi's transit bill is unrelated to the track. In June, Helbock drafted Marchi's bill, which would bring $250 million in state funds to borough transportation improvements.

The legislation maintains that the state money could be supplemented by local developments.

"It was done to give hope to NASCAR. It was done as a wink and a nod to NASCAR," Lanza said during a press conference held outside the site where developer International Speedway Corp. is hoping to build the raceway.

"Yes, we need transportation money for Staten Island and Albany has short-changed us, (but) this is a bill with NASCAR strings and it's a back-door effort to bring NASCAR to our borough."

During the conference he also demanded to know why ISC is still pushing the track plan in the face of so much political opposition, though no one from the motorsports company could be reached for comment.

Helbock, who was contacted after the conference, reiterated his previous statements that the bill is unattached to the track plan, and said the idea merely was born after ISC suggested a similar bill that would earmark at least $10 million from the track's revenue for the borough. (That fund would get bonded into $167 million, ISC says.)

"I think that Andy has been saying that he's opposing everything but hasn't indicated what he's supporting. This is a proposal that's done in an effort to try and improve transportation on Staten Island," said Helbock, who has the Conservative Party's endorsement and is battling Lanza in the GOP primary. "I've said from the beginning that I'm opposed to NASCAR."

Lanza called the news conference after ISC executives were quoted last week as saying they are temporarily backing off their plan to introduce their own bill, which they called the Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP). The decision was partially based on Marchi's bill, ISC vice president of business affairs John Graham has said.

Sally Goldenberg is a news reporter for the Advance. She may be reached at goldenberg@siadvance.com.

 

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