 Borough President Vito Fossella and District Attorney Michael McMahon had the pleasure of thanking Police Officers Joe Nobile and Joni Tsulaia for their quick-thinking and heroic actions in preventing a passenger from jumping off the Staten Island Ferry and into the frigid waters below on March 14.
When the partners, who were on their first patrol together, spotted the passenger attempting to jump over the railing, they joined together to pull him back to safety. In saving the passenger’s life, they showed a selflessness that we should all emulate -- and they honored their oath to serve and protect.  Sunday mornings on Staten Island in the 1970s and early 1980s used to mean one thing: Touch Tackle Football. Every Sunday, hundreds of fans would show up to watch a series of games featuring former NFL players, homegrown legends, and five-star athletes.
One team stood out among the rest in the Staten Island Touch Tackle League: The L&M Tavern Football Team who were undefeated in consecutive regular season games between 1983 and 1986. Borough President Vito Fossella welcomed some of the original players into Borough Hall on Wednesday and presented them with a proclamation declaring February 28, 2024, as "L&M Tavern Football Team Day" in Staten Island. “I just thought it was a beautiful Staten Island story, especially as you look back all these years later and with your induction into the Staten Island Sports Hall of Fame,” said Borough President Fossella. “It was a team effort and something that is sort of missing today.” The team was originally formed as O’Neil’s Service Station in 1975 and played in the Staten Island Touch Tackle League’s Southern Division. Three years later, L&M Tavern, a small neighborhood bar on Targee Street in Concord, took over sponsorship and moved the team to the League’s Northen Division and then its Western Division. In 1981, they won the famed New Dorp Father’s Club Lion Tournament. It was in the 1983 season when they became a formidable team with the addition of several key players. Their practices were sharp and crisp, and they played with unparalleled confidence. On Sept. 11, 1983, they took the field at New Dorp High School and shut out the highly ranked team of B&A Jewelers, 6-0. Their win on that hot and sunny morning was just the beginning of an undefeated 12-0 season and playoff run. The L&M Tavern Football Team played with a “never say die” attitude and their record speaks for itself. The team was inducted into the Staten Island Sports Hall of Fame last year.  Borough President Vito Fossella and some of his fellow elected officials applauded a ruling in their favor in the appeal of their lawsuit to challenge New York City’s non-citizen voting legislation.
Local Law 11, which was passed in 2022, sought to give lawful permanent residents and persons authorized to work in New York City the right to vote in municipal elections. Borough President Fossella and several other New York City elected officials filed a lawsuit against Mayor Eric Adams, the NYC Board of Elections, and the City Council in New York State Supreme Court. In June 2022, State Supreme Court Justice Ralph Porzio ruled in their favor and the defendants appealed. On Tuesday, in a 3-1 vote, the Appellate Division, Second Judicial Department, ruled in favor of Borough President Fossella and the plaintiffs, determining that Local Law 11 is null and void. The decision held that Local Law 11 violated the New York State Constitution and the plain meaning of the Constitution’s language requiring voters to be citizens. The decision additionally holds that Local Law 11 violated New York’s Municipal Home Rule law that requires a mandatory referendum before the law could take effect. “Fortunately, common sense prevails in New York, thanks to the decision reached by the Appellate Division, Second Judicial Department,” said Borough President Fossella. “The New York State Constitution is clear in that only citizens can vote in our local elections. It is simply irresponsible and nonsensical to extend this right to non-citizens. We are pleased that the Appellate court shared this understanding. This is a win for New York citizens and upholds the integrity of our elections.” Also joining him in applauding the ruling were several fellow plaintiffs in the lawsuit: Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis; State Sen. Andrew Lanza; Assemblyman Michael Tannousis; Assemblyman Michael Reilly; Councilman David Carr; Councilman Joe Borelli; Queens Councilwoman Joann Ariola; Queens Councilman Robert Holden; Queens Councilwoman Vickie Paladino, and Brooklyn Councilman Kalman Yeger. (Photo courtesy of the Staten Island Advance/SILive.com/Annalise Knudson)  Borough President Vito Fossella addressed congestion pricing and the migrant crisis, as well as his commitment to education, parks, first-responders, and veterans when he delivered his State of the Borough Address in Monsignor Farrell High School, his alma mater. “This is our second State of the Borough address,” said Borough President Fossella to a packed house, which included Staten Island’s elected officials and educational, business, economic, and cultural leaders. “It’s a way to give you a snapshot of our priorities and the work we are doing. I hope you think we are doing OK.” In a touching moment, he played a video tribute with community leaders offering thanks to former Borough President James P. Molinaro for his advocacy of Staten Island during his three terms in office. He presented him with a proclamation which declared Feb. 10, 2024, as “Borough President James P. Molinaro Day.” Borough President Fossella called Staten Island a “place to live, grow, and love with your family.” “So, we are creating new schools for our children, new parks, new athletic facilities,” he said. “We continue to push for new ideas for the St. George Wheel site and Empire Outlets and will help John and Margo Catsimatidis in their efforts to have the Staten Island FerryHawks Stadium soar. We will improve our waterfronts: North Shore, Mid-Island and South Shore. And continue to attract economic engines to our West Shore “JOBS COAST,” where more than 10,000 people work. We will expand the Bluebelt success to the North Shore to reduce flooding. We will continue to pursue a fast ferry service from Staten Island to Brooklyn and other transit options. We will tap into the spirit and ingenuity of our community to shape and build our future. We will do this by finding a common cause and common ground to produce real results.” He continued his condemnation of congestion pricing and noted the pending lawsuit he filed with the United Federation of Teachers against the MTA. Since it was filed, most of Staten Island’s elected officials have joined as plaintiffs and a union representing more than 400,000 municipal workers joined the lawsuit last week. “And they tell us, congestion pricing will incentivize us to use mass transit,” Borough President Fossella said. “If you want to reduce congestion, take a look at this silliness. You used to have two parking lanes and four travel lanes on a roadway. Then they added the bike lane, a buffer, and shortened the parking lane, even taking away some parking as a commercial lane -- now we’re down to three travel lanes. But what’s the reality? One side of the parking now has a restaurant shed in it and two of those three travel lanes have double-parked delivery trucks. Leaving us all, with one travel lane. End this nonsense before you tax us again. Here’s a start -- try going after people who use the subway and buses, but never pay! Fare evasions are approximately $700 million -- that’s more than 2/3of their $1 billion goal. And why not fix the subways now? For those who use the subways under current conditions have troubling experiences. Some subway cars have become de facto homeless shelters, with the threat of violence around every corner.” Borough President Fossella also reiterated his stance on the migrant crisis by continuing to call it “unsustainable." “One area where common sense has disappeared has been the migrant crisis,” he said. “It continues to be an absolute mess. Last year, we found it necessary to resort to the courts on two occasions to protect the people of Staten Island and our neighborhoods from harm. First, you may recall how some rolled out the red carpet, handing out champagne, free hotel rooms, and three meals a day to migrants. At the time, we said it was unsustainable. We asked, ‘How much is this going to cost?’ The response: About a half-billion dollars. That was then. Now, the cost has jumped to more than $12 billion dollars, averaging almost $140,000 per year, per migrant. We were prepared to fight and we did. When the City moved migrants into the old St. John Villa, the tide changed. We had our Alamo. Day after day, night after night, we stood with the community. We stood our ground, to shut it down. We stood up for common sense. Then we sued and we won. Today, St. John’s Villa is empty!” He called out the brazen attack on police officers by migrants in Times Square, which was captured on video. “Two weeks ago, we watched insanity in real time,” said Borough President Fossella. “This was Times Square at 8:30 pm. Two police officers were being beaten by a number of migrants. The migrants were arrested and, within hours, released. We invited the two police officers to join us tonight, but the department would not allow them as there is an investigation ongoing. We understand. So, perhaps we can have any police officer -- active or retired-stand -- up so we can show them how we respect what they do.” A large part of Borough President Fossella’s State of the Borough address highlighted his continued commitment to Staten Islanders by outlining his work over the last wo years. “The prevailing political theme today seems to be following another playbook,” he said. “It is loaded with endless competitions: us vs them. Where we win, they lose. Or they win, we lose. They lose, everybody loses. For the past two years, around here, we have tried something a little different. We are not competitors. We are not even rivals. We are partners, trying to work together to make your lives better. Great partnerships can make great decisions.” He shared a lighthearted video of his dog, Malibu, exploring the “Borough Of Parks’ while wearing a GoPro. “As you saw in the opening video, our parks and public spaces are unique and popular attractions,” said Borough President Fossella. “We have and will continue to support efforts to make all our parks better. Across Staten Island, you are always within just a few minutes of a park, in fact, our parks and natural areas now total 10,218 acres, representing 27% of our Borough’s land area. We wish to thank Commissioner Sue Donoghue and Borough Commissioner Lynda Riccardione and her Parks team for their commitment to keeping our parks the best in the city.” He cited funding allocations with Council Members David Carr, Joseph Borelli, and Kamilla Hanks to improve Walker Park, Annadale Green, Aesop Playground Phase 2, Midland Playground, and basketball courts at Bloomingdale Park. He also announced that the ballfield at Clove Lakes Park will be completely renovated. “This is one of our most highly-used and in-demand ballfields,” said Borough President Fossella. “Not only is it old and worn, but also after heavy rain, the field is too flooded to use. This project will correct that and provide new turf and drainage. For our park users, it’s a home run. Indeed, you can’t think of parks without thinking of youth sports. One of the major reasons we are so committed to improving parks is to provide our young people access to the best types of ballfields, basketball courts, pickleball courts -- even archery." He offered this nugget: “One thing that is more important than giving kids access to a nice place to play and have fun is giving them a quality education” and thanked those who work with our students every day. “Fortunately, we have many dedicated teachers, administrators, coaches, and school professionals who want nothing but the best for Staten Island kids both inside and outside the classroom,” he said. Among Borough President Fossella’s educational commitments are:
He noted a year of firsts: The first-ever pickleball tournaments for intermediate and high school students, a bocce tournament and the recently played inaugural Staten Island High School Girls’ Basketball Tournament. “And I am pleased to announce today that we will showcase another ‘first’ -- the first-ever high school boys and girls Flag Football Tournament. This will be organized in partnership with the College of Staten Island and Tom DeAngelis of Next Level Flag Football. We are also looking into creating a PSAL league for our intermediate schools.” Borough President Fossella talked about his “Field of Dreams” which will be built in Wolfe’s Pond Park for children with special needs which is modeled after a park in Toms’ River. “It will have plenty of parking, accessibility, and, most importantly, the design will be driven by those in the special needs community. Community visioning sessions are to begin next month,” he said. “Upon completion, this park will be the best of its kind in all of New York City. These families deserve it.” Borough President Fossella acknowledged Staten Island’s veterans. “Parks, youth sports, education as well as our freedoms are not possible without the sacrifices of our veterans,” he said. “Here is just one way you have demonstrated your support for their service. A little more than a year ago on Jan. 27 we were notified that a local veteran’s funeral would be held at Holy Child church in Eltingville. We were told he had no immediate family. So, we reached out to our veteran community. And, the result was this beautiful tribute. We would like to thank Vito Giobbe of the Disabled American Veterans, the FDNY, and Rolling Thunder and members of the Staten Island veteran community for their outpouring of love and support. Staten Island never forgets the men and women who have worn and wear our nation’s uniform. In June, we had the opportunity to honor a very special Veteran and FDNY retiree Anthony Aquaro who is 102-years- old, and his wife Gloria who is 101 as honorary Borough Presidents of the Day. The Aquaros represent all that we value here in Staten Island: Family, Faith, Country, Service, and Freedom.” He referenced Borough Hall’s ongoing partnership with the Blue Star Families to keep the pantry at Fort Wadsworth stocked for our active military families. In addressing transportation, he said it’s “needless to say, we like our cars. That’s why it remains vital to keep our roads paved and safe… In 2023 alone, DOT paved 164 miles of roadway and repaired 16,000+ potholes. Cooperation is key. There is a stretch of road along Arthur Kill Road and Clay Pit Road that was an issue for years with not only potholes but also serious water and icing issues. Band-aid solutions had been made, but the problem never went away. It was like driving on the moon. We worked together with DOT and DEP to identify the real problem, which was a drainage issue. That was fixed, the road, and was repaved. Problem solved because of good teamwork. We also focused on making our streets safer, such as right outside this building, where safety improvements were made to prevent accidents on Amboy Road.” While there are no “silver bullets,” Borough President Fossella announced that a Transportation Task Force will be created to address the traffic and congestion challenges that we face every day. Borough President Fossella thanked Michael Cusick, the president of the Staten Island Economic Development Corporation, and Linda Baran, the president of the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce, for their support of the borough’s large and small businesses. “Small business remains the heart, the soul and backbone of Staten Island’s economy,” he said. “There are more than 14,000 businesses on Staten Island providing more than 116,000 jobs. And these are more than just offices and storefronts -- they are a beloved part of our lives and neighborhoods. Too often, the city and state treat these employers as the enemy through a combination of higher taxes and heavy regulations. Our goal is to help our small business to flourish, while, at the same time, push back against radical and burdensome regulations that come from the city and state. Along with our partners in SIEDC we are making the west shore of Staten Island a literal 'Jobs Coast.' From Amazon to Pratt Industries, to Broadway Stages and Bricktown, the jobs have grown to number in the thousands. And we are working continuously to attract new industries. Howland Hook Marine Terminal continues to grow. It employs 300 people and we recently announced with the Governor and Port Authority an almost $300 million investment to ensure it remains a hub of commerce and a source of good-paying jobs.” In speaking of our first-responders," said Borough President Fossella. “Staten Island’s fabric is incomplete without our dedicated first responders: Our police officers, firefighters, and EMS personnel. When others across the city continue to view some of our first responders as villains and the enemy…especially the police -- remember the dumbest thing ever proposed “defund the police? Well, around here we simply say “Thank you for your service. Their work can be rewarding, but it can also be dangerous.” He concluded the evening with another announcement what he called “a new beginning.” “For the first time in over 30 years, we are looking to fund a formal study to assess the feasibility of Staten Island becoming its own city or county,” said Borough President Fossella. “We will explore secession. This is not a new topic. And, as somebody once said. ‘It’s not personal, it’s strictly business.’ Nearly everyone has an opinion on secession. ‘Don’t do it. Do it tomorrow. Let’s look at it, maybe. ‘Staten Islanders have legitimate questions. Is it what’s best for us? Can we afford it? Can we make it on our own? Create our own local economy and workforce? Staten Islanders deserve answers to these questions. Like Joe Friday said, ‘Give us the facts.’ That’s why we are funding a study. I’ve spoken with each Staten Island elected official about it. We are going into this with our eyes wide open. When the study is completed, we will share the results with all of you. As our elders used to say: ‘Before you get ready to jump, be sure you know where you’re gonna land.’” The evening came to a close with Gabriella Valentine, accompanied by students from P.S. 29 and Port Richmond High School, signing “God Bless America” to Anthony and Gloria Aqauro -- “a profound note of optimism that Staten Island will continue to grow, to prosper, to stick together, and to stay united for many years to come.” “As we stand ready to look at our challenges in the face, I ask you to see through the eyes of our friends, Anthony and Gloria Aquaro. They have lived through the Great Depression, World War II, Civil Unrest, The Korean and the Vietnam Wars, recession. But, the good times far outshine the bad times. Because look… Anthony’s about to turn 103-years old. And. he’s still smiling. If anyone knows what our country has been through -- they do.” Tune into the State of the Borough Address, produced by Community Media of Staten Island. Available on Verizon’s Channel 37, Spectrum’s Channel 1997, stream on the Community Media Staten Island app, or by clicking here.   Borough President Vito Fossella joined his fellow elected officials and members of the law enforcement community to offer his support to legislation introduced into the State Assembly to address the dramatic spike in car thefts across Staten Island, the city, and the state.
“This is the bottom line, like most things in the bail reform a few years ago were a joke, if you steal a car whether it be on Staten Island or anywhere in the state, it’s a joke -- you get a slap on the wrist if anything,” said Borough President Fossella during a press conference outside the 122nd Precinct in New Dorp. Assemblyman Mike Reilly and Assemblyman Michael Tannousis introduced legislation that would increase the penalties for those who commit grand larceny auto. The legislation also aims to increase the prison sentence for those who commit grand larceny auto again after a previous conviction. In addition, the legislation would try 16-year-olds and 17-year-olds in the Youth Part of Criminal Court rather than in Family Court. State Sen. Andrew J. Lanza introduced a companion bill in the Senate. Borough President Fossella said there are rings in New Jersey who come to Staten Island and recruit 16-year-olds and 17-year-olds to steal cars “because they know nothing is going to happen to them. They go to Family Court, plea to a misdemeanor, and they’re back on the street to steal another car.” “And, last summer in particular, it was like happy hunting season, in which sometimes people would get two cars stolen from their house in a single day,” he said. “And if you caught them, if you were lucky enough to catch them, nothing happened. And yet, despite the best efforts of the people who serve in the New York City Police Department every single day to combat crime and to keep us safe and to prevent stolen cars, what happens is these individuals know they can get away with anything. If you need any more exhibits as to what you can get with away, just watch the video, it’s not about stolen cars, but its emblematic of where we are as a city right now, watch the video of the police officers getting beat up by migrants in Times Square two weeks ago. That is what we’re dealing with right now. That’s the mentality, that’s the disposition that the people who wear the uniform are the enemy, the people who come here illegally can beat them up without consequences. We on Staten Island, quite frankly, are looking to change that mentality, change the attitude and this legislation is a step in that direction. I want to thank the men and women in the New York City Police Department who are on the frontlines every single day to try to keep us safe.” |