STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — The Staten Island Young Republicans (SIYR) organization had hoped to launch a speaking series last year, but like most 2020 plans, coronavirus (COVID-19) got in the way.
This year, with an improved understanding of virtual technologies, the group of about 40 young conservatives will kick off such a series Thursday night with Janice Dean, a Fox News meteorologist, advocate for nursing home residents, and vocal critic of Gov. Andrew Cuomo, SIYR President Peter Giunta said Tuesday.
“Most of our members have grandparents that are still alive,” he said. “With COVID, a lot of families were cut off from their loved ones...I just think it’s sad and Janice’s story resonates with them.”
In large part, the COVID-related deaths of Dean’s husband’s parents in elder-care facilities in New York have spurred her criticism of the governor and his policies on nursing homes.
Cuomo has come under fire in recent weeks for those policies, with many calling for a full investigation into COVID deaths related to nursing homes, and some going as far as to call for the governor’s impeachment.
Most recently, the governor’s office has received criticism for its delayed release of information and death counts related to nursing homes. Cuomo has repeatedly accepted responsibility for creating an information “void.”
A Marist poll published Tuesday found 60% of surveyed New Yorkers “perceive some wrongdoing” on the part of the governor in his handling of nursing homes.
Giunta also works as chief of staff for Assemblyman Michael Reilly (R-South Shore), who has voiced his support for a state commission that would investigate the governor’s handling of the outbreak in nursing home facilities.
While SIYR is explicitly a political organization, Giunta said Dean’s advocacy for nursing home patients and their families crosses partisan lines.
“It means a great deal for our members, and I think, Staten Islanders, in general, that Janice is coming to speak to us,” he said.
Dean is scheduled to give her speech virtually on Thursday at 7 p.m. The event is free for SIYR members, but $10 for non-members wishing to attend. To learn more visit their online event page.