Queens council candidate leads maskless conga line at Republican club holiday party

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Vickie Paladino, a council candidate in Queens’ District 19, leads the Whitestone Republican Club. The organization held an event Dec. 9 where attendees went maskless as they danced and sang. Image via Matt Binder/Twitter

Vickie Paladino, a council candidate in Queens’ District 19, leads the Whitestone Republican Club. The organization held an event Dec. 9 where attendees went maskless as they danced and sang. Image via Matt Binder/Twitter

By David Brand

A conservative Queens council candidate and members of her local Republican club ditched their masks when they hit the dance floor at an indoor holiday party Dec. 9, videos show.

Council District 19 candidate Vickie Paladino and members of the Whitestone Republican Club held the party inside Il Bacco, a Little Neck restaurant whose owners sued Gov. Andrew Cuomo to restart indoor dining in September. 

A video shared on Twitter shows Paladino dancing in and around a 13-person conga line led by former Republican Assembly candidate James Martinosky, seen carrying a Trump 2020 flag. “I’m not holding that,” Paladino appears to say when Martinosky attempts to hand her the blue banner.  

Roughly 50 people can be seen dancing or watching from tables along the perimeter of the floor. One attendee can be seen wearing a mask in the video.

Paladino did not respond to requests for comment. District 19 is represented by term-limited councilmember Paul Vallone and includes College Point, Whitestone, Bayside, Douglaston and Little Neck.

Whitestone Republican Club spokesperson Robert Hornak said the event took place before the state reimposed a ban on indoor dining. He said attendees mostly adhered to COVID rules.

“We held an intimate gathering observing all the COVID guidelines in place at the time,” Hornak said. “Every attendee was told to wear a mask, and everyone had one when entering, or was given one.”

He said members wanted to hold the event to unwind after a tough election season.

“Everyone there had a great time and we were pleased that we gave people that time to be together with others of like mind and spirit as we get ready to move forward into what will hopefully be a much better 2021,” he said.

Hornak said the party was not a campaign event for Paladino, though a poster advertising her city council bid was attached to the DJ stage, the video shows. 

In another video from the event posted on the Whitestone Republican Club’s Facebook page, a classical singer performs Ave Maria before a crowd of maskless attendees.

Il Bacco is located in zip code 11362, where the seven-day COVID positivity rate was 6.53 percent as of Dec. 18, according to the most recent data reported by the city Health Department.

Similar maskless political shindigs — Democrat and Republican — have faced scrutiny amid a surge in COVID cases across New York City. 

Despite video of the patrons partying without their masks, Il Bacco Ristorante owner Tina Maria Oppedisano said her restaurant followed the rules as they existed at the time of the event.  

Restaurants were permitted to open indoor dining at 25 percent capacity in New York City until Dec. 14, when Cuomo reimposed the ban.

“That party was absolutely not in violation. We did exactly as we were told,” Oppedisano said. “Every single person that walked into the business was checked in and given a temperature check.”

The event took place on two floors, including the outdoor patio, she said. 

Though she said her business adheres to the COVID regulations, she doesn’t agree with the rules. Her business is in jeopardy of shutting down for the winter, she said.

“The current rules, I think, they’re a disgrace, and if people are scared of the virus, they should just stay home,” she said. “People have had enough and just want to conduct their business.” 

“I think it’s obnoxious for anyone to say anything about any event,” she added.