Table of Contents
Every day Level
Lafazan’s loans
Nassau County Legis. Josh Lafazan is aggressively if unofficially campaigning for the not-yet-open third Congressional District — dashing across the area for anti-George Santos information conferences, making an attempt to fundraise for his congressional marketing campaign account, and customarily being ready for a particular election if Santos implodes.
However there’s a lingering facet of Lafazan’s biography that may certainly proceed to make waves if an precise marketing campaign materializes: the practically $100,000 in faculty tuition funds coated by way of a personal mortgage from a rich couple.
The cash, which was paid by New York investor Bryan Lawrence and his spouse Elizabeth, who additionally donated 1000’s to Lafazan’s congressional marketing campaign, was the topic of a criticism earlier than the August CD3 main from one in every of Lafazan’s Democratic opponents, Robert Zimmerman.
And it has been revived by Paolo Pironi, who ran towards Lafazan for county legislature in 2021 and says he plans on working once more this yr. This week, Pironi wrote to each the Nassau district lawyer and county Board of Ethics calling consideration to Lafazan’s mortgage from a “main political donor” versus a financial institution or monetary establishment. Among the many questions Pironi desires investigated are whether or not this constitutes an “illegal reward.”
The funds had been made to a “Chief Studying Officer” doctoral program on the College of Pennsylvania, in response to Neil Reiff, who was counsel for Lafazan’s congressional marketing campaign. Lafazan is on depart from that program and has one yr of lessons left. The construction of the mortgage settlement gave the county legislator 5 years to start out repaying the mortgage to the couple and he has not paid again any of it but, in response to Reiff. The rate of interest of the mortgage wasn’t supplied to The Level.
Requested why Lafazan didn’t go to a monetary establishment for a tuition mortgage, Reiff stated “in response to Josh it wasn’t possible,” citing the compressed timetable earlier than lessons began. Reiff stated that Lafazan’s crew ran the difficulty by ethics counsel in 2020.
Requested whether or not there have been any probes of the circumstances of the mortgage, Reiff stated that “we’re not conscious of something.”
A Zimmerman marketing campaign spokesman stated that they withdrew their preliminary criticism “as a gesture of social gathering unity” following the first, and a quick October letter from the Federal Election Fee in regards to the Zimmerman criticism says that the matter has been closed.
A spokesman for the Nassau DA confirmed receipt of Pironi’s criticism however declined additional remark. It’s probably that Pironi will proceed elevating this situation towards Lafazan, significantly given the renewed scrutiny on marketing campaign finance points because of the Santos saga. Pironi himself was paid $1,300 by a Santos marketing campaign committee as a recount observer in 2020, and was described by Santos on Fb as “my pal and former marketing campaign area director” again in 2021. Pironi advised The Level, “Fortunately, I disassociated myself earlier than Santos’ 2022 marketing campaign.”
“I’m fed up with Josh Lafazan as a lot as I’m with George Santos,” he stated.
Lafazan’s rapid political future probably rests within the arms of social gathering leaders, who would decide a candidate within the case of a particular election. State Democratic chairman Jay Jacobs advised The Level he first noticed a replica of the Pironi criticism when it was circulating as “an nameless mailing.”
“For me, that’s at all times suspect,” he emailed. “Whereas, after all, we’ll search for Josh’s response, I actually won’t prejudge it at this level.”
— Mark Chiusano @mjchiusano
Speaking Level
An unwelcome welcome
When Assemb. Chuck Lavine acquired an e mail this week from Rep. Andrew Garbarino, he was “not happy.”
The e-mail welcomed Lavine as one in every of Garbarino’s “new constituents” and provided the workplace’s assets “which you’ll be able to benefit from” — together with assist with federal businesses, grant purposes and even getting flags, excursions and commendations.
However there was an issue. Lavine, who lives in Glen Cove, isn’t a part of CD2 — Garbarino’s district. His congressional consultant is George Santos, in CD3.
When Lavine, who beforehand labored with Garbarino within the Meeting, acquired the e-mail, he noticed it in gentle of the latest information convention held by Nassau Republicans, by which some officers pledged to hunt help from Lengthy Island’s different representatives, slightly than going by way of Santos.
“That, to me, is simply cynical,” Lavine advised The Level. “The oldsters I symbolize will definitely make an effort to achieve out to Santos and his employees, and if there’s no response, we’re going to both our United States senators or to Grace Meng in Queens or Greg Meeks in Queens. In any case, they’re nearer to me.”
And, after all, Meng and Meeks, like Lavine, are Democrats.
Lavine issued a information launch in regards to the e mail, arguing that Republican politicians had been “merely making an attempt to defend themselves from criticism.”
However there’s apparently an easier rationalization for the Garbarino e mail.
“My workplace inadvertently despatched this e mail to contacts in our database, together with previous constituents of my predecessor who as soon as represented the third Congressional District,” Garbarino stated in an announcement. “I’m sorry Chuck is making this political. Folks make errors.”
Certainly, Lavine was as soon as represented by Garbarino’s predecessor, former Rep. Pete King — greater than a decade in the past.
When advised it was an error, slightly than a calculated transfer, Lavine stated: “I would definitely hope so.”
Lavine, in the meantime, stated his workplace reached out to Santos’ workplace on Thursday to open strains of communication and learn how to achieve out to him and his employees.
However does Lavine’s commentary on his congressional district recommend there’s a spot for him in a possible particular election for the CD3 seat?
“I’m an avid supporter of Robert Zimmerman,” Lavine stated. “I wouldn’t even start to consider it until Robert, for no matter cause, wouldn’t be working. Robert is arms down the perfect candidate and he could be an amazing congressional consultant.”
— Randi F. Marshall @RandiMarshall
Pencil Level
The outdated line
Credit score: San Diego Union-Tribune/Steve Breen
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Last Level
Choose buying in choose shops solely
The state’s dominant Democrats are nonetheless reeling from final yr’s massive redistricting fiasco.
The proof: Get together lawmakers are pushing a invoice geared toward curbing a tactic that labored in favor of Republicans final yr when the Democratic legislative majority’s congressional and State Senate maps had been overturned and rewritten in court docket.
Final spring, Republicans difficult the Democratic maps shrewdly received their case earlier than a GOP state choose in distant Steuben County. The choose, Justice Patrick McAllister, finally received to decide on the particular grasp who redrew the districts as soon as his ruling was upheld on enchantment. The change in district maps helped propel a “purple wave” in U.S. Home races on Lengthy Island and elsewhere.
However beneath a invoice that cleared the Senate, 41-19, on Jan. 9, Republican attorneys wouldn’t have the ability to repeat what turned out to be a jurisdictional coup. Election-law challenges of this type must be despatched to at least one massive county in every of the state’s 4 judicial departments — specifically Albany, Westchester, Erie, and New York (Manhattan).
Sponsors of the measure, together with Manhattan Democratic Sen. Robert Jackson, declare in a printed justification contained within the invoice that it “prevents discussion board buying” on “frivolous litigation” as “seen not too long ago.”
“This invoice makes an attempt to scale back partisan gamesmanship that happens in election associated litigation,” the textual content states.
On the contrary, Republicans say, the measure is clearly geared toward ensuring most such instances go earlier than Democratic judges. One Republican activist advised The Level that he knew of solely three Republican state Supreme Courtroom justices throughout all of those designated main counties, which collectively have greater than 100 judges serving at that degree.
To this point, the Meeting Elections Committee has but to take up the measure, so its likelihood of being signed into legislation by Gov. Kathy Hochul is unknown.
— Dan Janison @Danjanison