Queens Pols Push Reform Agenda In Busy Start To Legislative Session --PATCH

Newly elected Sens. Tony Avella, D-Bayside, and Michael Gianaris, D-Astoria, hope to mix things up in Albany

By Paul Leonard

It's been an active three months for two newly elected Queens state senators.

Whether it was term limits, ethics reform or the push for non-partisan legislative redistricting, every week seemed to bring another bill introduced by Sens. Tony Avella, D-Bayside, and Michael Gianaris, D-Astoria — both elected last November as part of an injection of new blood into a chamber known as being resistant to change....

...Both Avella and Gianaris agreed that it was the Republican majority in the state Senate that was responsible for a lack of results on the reformist agenda that helped propel both of them into office.

"The governor is on board, the Assembly is moving in the right direction — it's the Senate Republicans that are blocking us at every turn," Gianaris said.

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