The city's flat-footed response to last week's blizzard has given Staten Island Senator Andrew Lanza the perfect excuse to demand, once again, that his borough secede from the rest of NYC (where, you'll recall, the snow was immediately and efficiently collected from every street and airlifted to Staten Island). His first order of business when his fellow Republicans regain their majority in the Senate will be to re-introduce his existing secession bill. With piles of uncollected garbage now rivaling the snow banks' former heights, Lanza thinks the time is ripe for his constituents to liberate themselves from New York City's shackles and fly free as the seagulls that once circled Fresh Kills Landfill. more ›

After years of putting up with disrespect from City Hall (and really, everyone else), the forgotten borough of Staten Island may be contemplating going it alone. After City Hall cut bus service for 3,000 middle schoolers, State Senator Andy Lanza recently asked,"Secession, anyone? Are we ready to talk about it now?" Lanza already attempted to introduce secession legislation in 2009, but says the Republicans need to re-take the senate for the bill to get the support it needs. He said, "Can it happen? I’m not sure. But it’s a conversation that has to be had." Perhaps they can join up with "Strong Island" and fund their government with professional GTL services. more ›

State Senator Joseph E. Robach has his eye on secession; the Republican proposed legislation that would allow the state's 62 counties to hold a referendum in 2010 asking voters: “Do you support the division of New York into two separate states?” CityRoom takes out the history books, noting that our state's boundaries have been largely unchanged since the Constitution was ratified in 1787. So why now? more ›

Last month, a few Long Island lawmakers called for a study to examine the possibility of Long Island statehood. Suffolk Comptroller Joseph Sawicki had said, "The state of Long Island has always been a romantic idea, its been fun to talk about and exciting to discuss. Now, it's become a matter of economic survival," and pointed out that Albany gets $3 billion more from Long Island than it gives back. Last night, Samantha Bee of the Daily Show decided to tackle the issue, speaking with Suffolk County Legislator Edward Romaine (pro-Long Island as the 51st State), State Senate Carl Marcellino (con-Long Island as the 51st State), and a three, um, typical Long Island guys who suggest that the Long Island state bird could be "flipping the bird." more ›

Angry at Albany for passing a bill that imposes payroll taxes to help bailout the MTA and other rankling decisions, Republican lawmakers on Long Island are calling for a study for examine secession from the rest of the state. Suffolk Comptroller Joseph Sawicki said, "The state of Long Island has always been a romantic idea, its been fun to talk about and exciting to discuss. Now, it's become a matter of economic survival," and points out that Albany gets $3 billion more from Long Island than it gives back. However, Newsday notes there are some worries—for instance, Legislator DuWayne Gregory (D-Amityville) explained, "Is there going to be an impression that the Long Island delegation, that they're wacky, that they're whackos? That's the concern that I have." Well, secession is always a fun way to get people riled up—Staten Island has considered it, as have folks in NYC (NYC gives around $10 billion to the state that it doesn't get back). more ›

The NY Times tantalizing leads off an article about President-elect Barack Obama’s pick to head the CIA by revealing Leon Panetta "plotted his first coup when he was in City Hall." Back when Panetta was an assistant to Mayor John Lindsay, he "embraced a radical regime change"—statehood for New York City, and the Times notes a 1971 memo he wrote: NYC “can no longer depend on a body of upstate legislators, who are out of touch with urban problems, to respond to the city’s crucial needs... Statehood [for NYC] — while initiated somewhat facetiously during the last campaign — is not an unrealistic possibility. Indeed, it may well be the only sensible approach to governing New York City.” Of course, we're still part of the Empire State, though secession comes up every now and then. And while there are complaints about Panetta's creds, Senator Dianne Feinstein says "all systems are go" for his confirmation. more ›

Though a 1994 bid for Staten Island secession failed, State Senator Andrew Lanza will propose that S.I. secede from the rest of NYC next year. The Staten Island Advance spoke to Lanza as he "is putting the finishing touches on the 2,115-page bill" and found out he "really believe[s]" in the secession, because "being part of New York City works against Staten Island on all the issues we care about." Lanza admits that Mayor Bloomberg has been helpful to his borough, but: "Staten Island's voice is diminished in this big, bureaucratic system that we pay a lot of the bill for." If S.I. secedes, it would be the second largest city in NY State and Lanza thinks it could raise enough money from property, business and payroll taxes. As for the Mayor, his spokesman said, "Mayor Bloomberg doesn't agree with Sen. Lanza on this but he appreciated...when Andy said that this mayor has been a great friend to Staten Island at City Hall who built on Mayor Giuliani's record of looking after Staten Islanders." more ›

This week Frank Bruni at the Times slams fancy Franch brasserie Secession, the new iteration of what was formerly Danube in Tribeca. It's not good. He's completely vexed by the "oddly organized riot of strangely mismatched options" on the menu, deeming it "the menu of an unfocused, distracted mind. And it’s a window into the present hyperextension of its guiding spirit, David Bouley [pictured]...Not much of what emerged from Secession’s seemingly overburdened kitchen rose far above mediocrity. And there were instances of outright sloppiness. A block of butter for the breadbasket had a hard, pale yellow ring around it, suggesting that it had begun to melt before being returned to the refrigerator." more ›

This week Frank Bruni at the Times criticizes Corton, the new Tribeca restaurant helmed by enfant terrible chef Paul Liebrandt. Others at Time Out and NY Mag have raved, and Bruni's praise isn't exactly muted either: "At Corton [Liebrandt] calms down and wises up, accepting that an evening in a restaurant shouldn’t be like a visit to a fringe art gallery: geared to the intellect, reliant on provocation. It needn’t demand raptness. And it must, in the course of whatever else it means to accomplish, leave a person eager for the next bite and intent on the one after that." Makes sense, three stars. more ›

This week the Times's Frank Bruni reviews Kurve (pictured), the Thai-centric space-age restaurant in the East Village, which has had a long, rocky road to opening. (After Sarah DiGregorio at the Voice ate there in September, she was informed it "was not yet open.") Bruni awards it zero stars and has fun with his disgruntled companions along the way:

"Kurve struts. Until recently it outfitted its servers in proper hats, which prompted associations that changed depending on how far our meal had progressed, how thoroughly our patience had been taxed and how sinister our outlook on the restaurant had become. more ›

This week Frank Bruni reviews Market Table (pictured), the market-and-dining venue that now only focuses on dining from chef Mikey Price (who is a principal owner along with Joey Campanaro of Little Owl). And Bruni is taken by its "warm," "soothing," "humble," "unambiguous," and "generous" cooking, attitude and style and gives it two stars. He delights in discovering how "There’s bacon with the skate wing and bacon with the brussels sprouts and pancetta with pork loin: pig upon pig." more ›

With Mayor Bloomberg up in Albany deriding Gov. Spitzer for bilking the city out of $500 million in promised funding, it's no wonder that the perennial call for secession has arisen. more ›