Lifelong Republican Guest Writer Modern Thomas Nast: Staten Island GOP Leadership Suffers from "Electile Dysfunction"
Lifelong Republican Guest Writer Modern Thomas Nast: Staten Island GOP Leadership Suffers from "Electile Dysfunction"
Staten Island Republican Party Bosses Trade Judgeships for Democrat Favors
Frank Report has published an explosive article detailing corruption within Staten Island GOP Leadership, penned by lifelong Republican “Modern Thomas Nast,” a pseudonym.
Staten Island Republican Party Bosses Trade Judgeships for Democrat Favors
Summary
Staten Island, the only red county in New York City, has become a microcosm of the Republican Party's national struggles. Republican county officials dominate local government, with the party taking at least 60% of the vote in county-wide races over the last ten years. Despite this, Republican Party leaders in the county have been accused of prioritizing their personal interests over the party's.
The Republican Party's problems are evident in its symptoms: a lack of coherent messaging, poor candidate selection, and a failure to challenge questionable mail-in ballots and harvesting practices. The most significant issue facing the party is its leadership putting their interests ahead of the party's good.
The disease can be exemplified by the events taking place in Richmond County, Staten Island. In 2022, three county-wide NYS Supreme Court judgeships were up for grabs. The Staten Island Republican Party leadership chose not to run a Republican candidate against the Democrats and instead endorsed Democrats Judith McMahon and Ann Thompson. This "deal" was in exchange for Democrats endorsing Republican Brendan Lantry, a former Republican Party Chairman, and elevating him to the bench. In all three races, with no opponent, both Democrats and the Republican received over 70% of their vote total on the Republican line.
This decision means that if the Republicans had put up candidates, they would have won all three races. The Republican Party's leadership in the county has also dictated that no Republican candidate should run against the Democrat Richmond County District Attorney Michael E. McMahon. As a result, the Democrat will again run unopposed in this year's election.
James Oddo, a former staunch conservative Republican, changed his political stance after his wife, Kim Petersen, was appointed as a judge by former NYC Mayor Bill DeBlasio in 2016. This move bought DeBlasio four years of Oddo's loyalty in the Red Borough. Oddo went on to support Democrats such as NYS Senator Diane Savino, NYS Assemblyman Michael Cusick, and even snubbed Republican Congressional Candidate Nicole Malliotakis in favor of her Democrat opponent Max Rose.
In 2021, Oddo refused to endorse Republican mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa. In January, Democrat Eric Adams appointed Oddo as Chief of Staff to the Deputy Mayor for Operations, a lucrative position for the Republican.
The Richmond County Republican Party allowed Democrat District Attorney Michael McMahon to run unopposed in 2019, and Republican Party Chairmen Robert Helbock and Ronald Castorina Jr. supported Democrats, helped McMahon, and became judges. Castorina also faced recent perjury allegations. In 2022, Republican Joe Tirone came close to winning the NY State Senate Seat held by a Democrat for 18 years but did not receive support from the NYS Republican Senate Campaign Committee or the Richmond County Republican Party.
Republican Sam Pirozzolo, a supporter of Donald Trump, was a victim of arson and labeled as a "wild card" by the GOP Establishment. In 2022, he flipped a NY State Assembly seat held by a Democrat for two decades but did not receive support from the GOP establishment.
The Richmond County Republican Party engaged in a "two for one" judge swap, giving away two seats in a deal rather than winning all three at the polls. The GOP leadership in Staten Island, made up of elected state legislators and attorneys, has been involved in politics for decades and are not naive. They have been accused of becoming spineless political hacks and selling out Republicans to curry favor with Democrats who hold the big city and state power.
These events serve as a microcosm of the issues affecting the Republican Party nationally. The party needs to address these issues before it's too late. Its current problems make it appear as though it has been swallowed by "The Swamp," a behemoth and entrenched political and administrative establishment that disregards Republican voters.
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Richard Luthmann is a writer, commentator, satirist, and investigative journalist with degrees from Columbia University and the University of Miami. Once a fixture in New York City and State politics, Luthmann is a recovering attorney who lives in Southwest Florida and a proud member of the National Writers Union.
Drop me a line if you are a victim of the “Swamp” of corrupt politicians, lawyers, judges, or courts. I write about criminal justice, courts, prisons, and reform.
"Nihil est incertius vulgo, nihil obscurius voluntate hominum, nihil fallacius ratione tota comitiorum.” (Nothing is more unpredictable than the mob, nothing more obscure than public opinion, nothing more deceptive than the whole political system.)
~ Marcus Tullius Cicero
For Article Ideas, Tips, or Help: richard.luthmann@protonmail.com or call 239-287-6352.
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