 Borough President Vito Fossella presented the 2023 Patrick F. Daly Award to two outstanding educators who exemplify the selfless leadership of the fallen principal during a ceremony at Borough Hall on Tuesday.
Patrick F. Daly lost his life in 1992 when he was caught in a gang crossfire in Red Hook, Brooklyn, while searching for a student who had left the school building. The award was posthumously presented to David LaMorte, who was the director of the Tottenville High School Marching Band for more than two decades, and to Lawrence Hansen, the principal of St. Joseph Hill Academy Elementary School. In addition to leading the award-winning Marching Band, David LaMorte served as an assistant principal at Tottenville High School. He was also involved in advancing the education of the arts during his tenure as conductor of the Staten Island Community Band and was the executive director of the Summer Arts Institute. Lawrence Hansen has been the principal of St. Joseph Hill Academy since 2017. He previously taught English Language Arts and religion at St. Clare School in Great Kills to seventh-grade students from 2000 to 2007 and eighth-grade students from 2008 to 2017. A special thank you to the Tottenville High School Band, Port Richmond High School Culinary Department, and Community Media of Staten Island for making this a truly special event. And, thank you to everyone who joined us in celebrating these two worthy educators. It was a wonderful and inspiring evening.
Borough President Vito Fossella, United Federation Of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew, and a bipartisan group of elected officials welcomed the Staten Island branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and church pastors in the movement to oppose congestion pricing.
The congestion pricing plan, if implemented, will shift hazardous air pollution away from majority white, high-income Manhattan neighborhoods to Staten Island’s predominantly lower-income, minority residential neighborhoods, stretching from St. George to Mariners Harbor, which already suffer from poor air quality, high asthma, and asthma-related hospitalization rates. “It’s unconscionable that the MTA would knowingly and deliberately further pollute lower-income minority districts here as part of its plan to remove air pollution from Manhattan,” said Borough President Fossella during a press conference in Borough Hall. “Simply stated, if the MTA’s congestion pricing program is implemented, more Staten Islanders will get sick and more Staten Islanders will die from the increases and resulting hazards of air pollution. And, most of those deaths will occur from the residents of Staten Island’s most diverse and lower income neighborhoods." Jasmine Robinson, the acting president of the Staten Island branch of the NAACP, called the congestion pricing plan an “undue burden” on the North Shore. “When you talk about people that live in these communities, this is not fair, this is not right, this is an injustice to those that are hardworking,” she said. “This is an undue burden to the people of our communities, to the black and brown communities, to the working class. We deserve better and we deserve more.” Bishop Victor Brown, pastor of Mount Sinai United Christian Church in Tompkinsville, said he was “grateful to see a bipartisan coalition” gathered in opposition to congestion pricing. “It exacerbates the reality that Staten Island per capita leads the city in incidences of cancer and so this plan can only make that reality worse,” said Bishop Brown. “So, members of good intent in this community have no other choice, but to stand in opposition. It’s not morally right so it is imperative that we all put aside our political differences and come to understand that when it comes to incidences of cancer or other illnesses -- illness does not know party, it does not know race and this is something that stands to affect all of us so it is imperative that we continue to join forces and keep the pressure on and to let the MTA know that this plan is wrong for Staten Island.” Borough President Vito Fossella Marks 100th Anniversary Of Our Lady Of Good Counsel School3/21/2024
 Borough President Vito Fossella joined Cardinal Timothy F. Dolan, the archbishop of New York, in a visit to Our Lady of Good Counsel School in Tompkinsville, to mark its 100th anniversary earlier this month.
The visit began with a mass delivered by Cardinal Dolan. As a special touch, the school’s choir sang hymns throughout his sermon. A tour of the school followed with two eighth-grade students escorting Cardinal Dolan and Borough President Fossella through the hallways and classrooms, where they met with the staff and students. At the end of the tour, a lunch -- which included Irish soda bread and corned beef -- was served. We thank Principal Tara Hynes for inviting us to the centennial celebration of Our Lady of Good Counsel School.  Borough President Vito Fossella and his fellow elected officials illustrated how congestion pricing will negatively impact low-income minority North Shore neighborhoods while benefiting wealthier neighborhoods in Manhattan during a press conference on the steps outside of Borough Hall.
“If anyone wanted to deliberately create a plan that wealthy white residents would breathe cleaner air while low-income minority residents would be left in more toxic air pollution, then this congestion program would meet those goals,” said Borough President Fossella. The city designated four North Shore Zip codes as "environmental justice areas,” stretching from St. George to Mariners Harbor, which already experience high rates of asthma and asthma-related hospitalizations among adults and youth. Meanwhile, none of the 12 Zip codes comprising the Central Business District in Manhattan were deemed as “environmental justice areas.” Borough President Fossella compared the racial and economic disparities of the Staten Island and Manhattan Zip codes. Half of the population in the North Shore neighborhoods are black and Hispanic with an average household income of $62,000 while those in the Central Business District are 62% white with an average household income of $300,000. The current congestion pricing plan, which is scheduled to go into effect this spring, would charge drivers $15 for every day they enter the Manhattan Central Business District between 5 a.m. and 9 p.m. This would be in addition to normal parking charges and to other current tolls on bridges and tunnels. The congestion pricing fee would be reduced -- though not eliminated -- on nights and weekends. In January, Borough President Fossella and United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew announced the filing of a federal lawsuit to block the implementation of congestion pricing. Also joining the lawsuit were seven individual plaintiffs, including teachers who work at schools in Manhattan and commute to work because there are no convenient means of public transportation available to them. Since then, most of Staten Island’s elected official officials have signed on as plaintiffs and the Municipal Labor Committee, which represents 400,000 workers, have backed the lawsuit.  Vito was joined by the Notre Dame Club, District Attorney Michael McMahon, and students from across Staten Island to announce the 33rd annual Notre Dame Bread of Life Food Drive during a press conference in Borough Hall yesterday.
For the third year, theme is “Fight Hunger, Not Each Other.” “We come from all different walks of life -- different faiths, different languages, different ethnicities,” Vito said. “Whatever it may be, when it’s all said and done, we’re just all God’s children and we have to look out for each other. And one common factor and common denominator that we’ve been able to deal with for the last 32 years is to understand that we shouldn’t let anybody go to bed hungry.” Joe Delaney, executive director of the Notre Dame Club of Staten Island BOLD Bread of Life Drive, thanked the students who participate in BOLD each year while addressing food insecurity, not just on Staten Island, but across the country. “Many of the people that come to our pantry have more than one job, but they still need to make ends meet,” he said. Since its inception in 1992 by the Notre Dame Alumni Club, the Bread of Life Food Drive has collected and distributed more than two million items of food. This year, students at participating schools will collect food donations until Friday, March 22. Donations will be distributed to various nonprofits in Staten Island and Brooklyn on Saturday, March 23.  Borough President Vito Fossella once again raised concerns over the potential siting of a new battery energy storage system (BESS) in a residential neighborhood in Castleton Corners, during a press conference at the location. He was joined by Councilman David Carr, who represents the district where the site would be built, along with neighborhood residents.
Prior to the press conference, he was informed that the BESS facility could potentially be built on an empty lot at 1963 Victory Boulevard. The design calls for a roughly 10,000-square-foot facility featuring four power banks, which would border several houses and a number of businesses. The siting of BESS facilities in residential neighborhoods has been a significant cause for concern throughout Staten Island, particularly due to the potential risk of fires, harmful emissions, and endangerment to people and property. Fires at other BESS locations in the state over the summer, specifically in the towns of Lyme, Warwick, and East Hampton, have added to those concerns. "As we know, over the last couple of years in particular, the city and others have allowed these battery storage facilities to pop up across Staten Island, right in people’s backyards practically," said Borough President Fossella. "What we’ve been saying time and time again is while we’re not necessarily opposed to these storage units, they should not be in people’s backyards. We are here to stand united and to say this is not the right place or location for this type of facility. We appealed to the powers that be that Staten Island is unique and deserves some flexibility in siting locations of these types of facilities and the powers that be continue to ignore us. So, we have to keep fighting and try to stand in the way of this happening.”  Borough President Vito Fossella announced the expansion of the Staten Island Vets Discount Program at a press conference outside of Cake Chef's Piece-A-Cake on New Dorp Lane.
He was joined by Staten Island Economic Development Corporation President and CEO Michael Cusick and Staten Island Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Linda Baran, along with veterans and business owners. The Vets Discount Program was started in 2012 by then-Assemblyman Cusick and now boasts more than 200 participating businesses, including restaurants, retail stores, florists, real estate firms, law offices, home repair services, auto body shops, and nonprofit organizations. Through the program, Staten Island veterans receive discounted goods and services at participating businesses across the borough by showing their veteran discount cards. The participating businesses are members of the Chamber or the SIDEC. “We’re not this great country without the sacrifices of the veterans,” said Borough President Fossella. “We try to do a little bit to help and we will continue to be the steward. We’re just humbled and honored to be a part of it. We love our veterans on Staten Island -- and we will continue to support them and to help them in any way we can.” Maria Carrozza, the owner of Piece-Of-Cake, said she was proud to join the program. “These are these individuals who stepped forward for us and it’s not an easy feat and when they come back, a lot of time they’re very humble we don’t even know who the veterans are among us,” she said. “I love thanking them individually and personally for everything they do for our country -- and I encourage other small businesses to join me in this great program.” Businesses wishing to participate can fill out this form on the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce's website: https://docs.google.com/.../1FAIpQLSe6ALKlKrEo.../viewform. Veterans wishing to receive a discount card can email Bobby Aanonsen at [email protected] or call him at 718-477-1400, ext. 827  Borough Hall funded $350,000 for the creation of a new makerspace/STEM lab at P.S. 39. The office of Council Member David Carr also provided funding.
The work included an electrical upgrade, Promethean board, computers, new furniture, and new flooring. During visit to the school, Borough President Vito Fossella saw first-hand look at the students in action as they used basic materials, including wooden blocks, cardboard, glue, and Legos to create 3D designs while integrating math and science. We hope the new labs help grow their curiosity and encourage critical thinking that can be applied to everyday life and their future goals.  Staten Islanders always show their support to our military families which was evidenced by the sheer number of donations made to our “Stock The Pantry Drive,” which was held in partnership with the Blue Star Families.
Borough President Vito Fossella and members of the Borough Hall staff, as well as the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, delivered truckloads of diapers, baby wipes, cereal, pancake mix, pasta and sauce, peanut butter, reusable grocery bags, and healthy kids’ snacks and more to Fort Wadsworth. “We think quite frankly that the fact that we are here is a shame and it’s a stain on the country that active personnel, many with young families, can’t afford to put food on the table or give their infants diapers,” Borough President Fossella said during a press conference inside the Fort Wadsworth food pantry. “Nevertheless, we’re not going to complain about it, we’re going to do something about it. This is the result. And, the message to me today is that Staten Island cares and they want to take care of their neighbors, but they especially care for the men and women who wear our nation’s uniform. We just did a great assembly line of food -- bags after bags after bags -- and fortunately, this food pantry is now packed.” Consuela Rodriguez, the program manager for the Blue Star Families, thanked the Staten Islanders who donated. “Without the Staten Island community, we wouldn’t have all of this, so we appreciate it,” she said. “As you know, 25% of our military families have food insecurity and you all do your part and we all come together as a community to do this.” The drive was held from Jan. 17 to Feb. 23 with Borough Hall serving as a drop-off center, along with Joyce's Tavern, La Fontana, and Deninos. Lifestyles for the Disabled donated a generous number of supplies. Also participating were the Metropolitan Division -- Kiwanis International, Marhkam (I.S. 51) Intermediate School, Beyar's Market and the Richmond County Yacht Club. Thank you to those who contributed -- your acts of charity will help our military families at Fort Wadsworth throughout the year.  Borough President Vito Fossella announced a $5 million capital project to reconstruct the ballfield at Clove Lakes Park.
The grounds at the park are notorious for frequent flooding during rainstorms and become unusable for extended periods of time. The allocation will support a project to reconstruct Field 1, the first renovation of the ballfield in more than 30 years. The reconstruction will include drainage to mitigate flooding and updates to the field, bleachers, and fencing. “Many people use this facility,” said Borough President Fossella during a press conference at the park. “It’s used by thousands on an annual basis and is one of the more popular parks, not only on the North Shore here, but across Staten Island for baseball, soccer, just going for a stroll or run, and so many other uses. But there’s a problem and the good news is that the people who use the field will be happy in a couple of years because our goal is to renovate this field." Borough Parks Commissioner Lynda Ricciardone called the project long overdue, pointing out that the field “may now appear more like a lake to some of you.” She said students from St. Peter’s Boys High School and Port Richmond High School volunteer to pump out the water after heavy rainfalls. “Today, we’re talking about a permanent fix and we are looking to put some serious work into this field, work on the drainage, work on getting synthetic turf in here so these fields are usable no matter what the weather is,” said Commissioner Ricciardone. “If it stops raining, you will be able to use the field within an hour. Right now, sometimes people have to wait days to use the field. But, we would not be standing here if it was not for the tremendous support of our Borough President. We’re proud of it and we are looking forward to having people out here and not worrying about how we are going to pump the water out. So, Mr. Borough President, thank you.” |