​On Wednesday, April 26th, BP Oddo announced an exciting partnership between our schools and iCivics at the Staten Island School of Civic Leadership.  iCivics was founded by former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor to teach students how government works by having them experience it directly through a series of interactive games. The games are a fun way to teach students how government works and emphasize the importance of civic engagement.
 
Through a partnership between our office and the Department of Education, teachers from Staten Island schools will be trained in how to use this educational tool as part of their curriculum in June. 
 
“My staff and I saw the alarming dramatic decline in civics knowledge by young people and felt like something needed to be done,” noted BP Oddo. “My policy team discovered iCivics, which is a great and fun solution to this problem. The games put students in the driver’s seat and give them a glimpse of the decision-making process that goes on behind the scenes in government. I hope that improving civic education in our schools will ultimately produce civic-minded adults who are educated on issues in politics and their community.”
 
“We’re excited about this program,” said Kevin Moran, Borough Field Support Center Director for the Department of Education. “The thing we like most about it is that it aligns with our new social studies curriculum. Learning civics leads to higher performance inside and outside the classroom.”
 
You can learn more and play the games at www.icivics.org.

​More great news in the fight against litter! On Friday, April 14th, Mayor de Blasio announced the addition of two-person Sanitation crews to address the issue. The crews will manually sweep and collect trash on sidewalks, streets and other public locations. The crews will be deployed across the borough three times a week for 32 weeks a year.
 
"We are doing everything we can on all fronts to combat litter," said BP Oddo. "This includes enforcement and education, but the bottom line is we must continue to remove it whenever and wherever it appears."
 
"There's a litter problem that isn't being addressed, and it's going to take some work by our sanitation workers, but we will put funding in the budget to allow that to happen at key sites all around Staten Island," said Mayor de Blasio.
 
Our office will continue to send our Clean Team out several times a week to tackle particularly dirty or overgrown locations.

​On Thursday, April 13th, BP Oddo and NY Waterway President and Founder Arthur E. Imperatore announced the framework of an agreement that will bring fast ferry service for commuters from a new dock to be constructed in St. George to the West 39th Street Ferry Terminal in Midtown.

The service would improve the trip for those commuting to Midtown, who currently either take express buses or take the Staten Island Ferry to various subway lines. A trip on the new ferry to West 39th Street would take approximately the same time as it currently takes the Staten Island Ferry to arrive at its destination at Whitehall in downtown Manhattan. In addition, those utilizing the new ferry would have access to New York Waterway’s free connecting bus service from their Midtown terminal to other Midtown destinations, with seven free routes covering a multitude of work destinations between 57th Street and Canal Street.  This would give commuters back some of their valuable time currently spent in commuting, either in traffic or on various subway lines waiting to get to their Midtown destinations. 
 
BP Oddo said, “Twenty-five minutes from St. George to Midtown. Twenty-five minutes. This is not the answer to all our traffic or commuting woes. But this has been a successful collaboration, entirely outside of citywide government, between us at Borough Hall and the private sector, to get Staten Islanders the possibility of a better commute. This mission continues on various fronts. Let me be clear, this does not negate the City’s obligations to our borough in its ‘5 Borough (since renamed ‘Citywide,’ but still inaccurate) Ferry Service at a subsidized fare. That fight continues. In the interim, we have been exhausting all options and possibilities to create a new fast ferry route to give Staten Islanders more choices.    
 
Oddo continued, “I have been speaking with Mr. Imperatore for more than four years, learning more about fast ferry service and trying to figure out how we can bring it to Staten Island. He has an incredible breadth of knowledge about this industry and how to structure routes that work. Here, we finally have a confluence of events that will make this workable. We have a new dock being constructed, new development poised to open, plenty of parking at the Empire Outlets and NY Wheel sites, a ferry operator ready, willing, and eager to help Staten Islanders, and my constituents who are desperate for new transportation options. While I continue to work with the City on bringing additional ferry options to Staten Island, particularly to the South Shore, which has challenges that have to be overcome, the time was right to work with NY Waterway on this project. The reality is, once the construction of the new dock is completed, in around a year, we will be ready to sail. I have continuously said that ferry service will beget more ferry service once we can demonstrate how successful it will be.”
 
“It is an honor to work with Borough President James Oddo and to have this opportunity to improve the quality of life for Staten Islanders with safe, reliable, environmentally-friendly commuter ferry service,” Mr. Imperatore said.  “NY Waterway has a +99 percent on-time performance record, the most reliable mass transit system in the Metropolitan Area.  Staten Islanders will know with certainty when they will get to work – and more importantly, when they will get home.”
 
“This is big win for Staten Island and it means an even brighter future for the St. George community. Fast ferry service will have a transformative impact across Staten Island by shortening commutes for our residents and bringing more visitors to our incredible North Shore,” said Joseph Ferrara, principal of BFC Partners, developer of Empire Outlets. “We applaud Borough President Oddo for once again demonstrating leadership that improves quality of life for the borough while also growing our local economy. We are also grateful to Arthur Imperatore of NY Waterway for his vision, foresight and commitment to serving Staten Islanders.”
 
“Providing quick, affordable access to midtown is critical to the North Shore reaching its full potential as a neighborhood and a destination,” said New York Wheel CEO Rich Marin.  “We applaud the Borough President and New York Waterway for making such a significant investment in the future of Staten Island for locals and visitors alike.”
 
“This is a huge economic development boost for St. George as it will only increase the number of employees, visitors and residents that come to this area,” said Lester Petracca, President of Triangle Equities. “The new ferry service provides current and future developments and businesses, including Lighthouse Point, a major benefit and only solidifies St. George as a viable option to live, work and visit.” 
 
“NYCEDC is thrilled to celebrate the continued growth of Downtown Staten Island,” said NYCEDC President James Patchett. “The New York Wheel, Empire Outlets, Lighthouse Point and New Stapleton Waterfront together will bring 2,000 jobs and more than $1.6 billion in investment to Staten Island’s North Shore. Additional ferry service will bring even more energy to the area, and it should surprise absolutely no one that Borough President James Oddo is the person who has brought everyone closer to making it a reality.”
 
The new service will run throughout the day to service commuters. The price has not yet been determined, but Mr. Imperatore promised it would be fair and attractive to commuters given the faster and more certain commute for Staten Islanders, many of whom now take more than two hours to get to Midtown.

​On Wednesday, April 12th, BP Oddo joined Mayor de Blasio at the Staten Island Ferry Terminal in St. George to announce that lower level boarding will be restored. The change comes after BP Oddo wrote to DOT asking for the restoration. He also spoke to the Mayor directly about the issue earlier this year. Adding lower level boarding will improve passenger flow and alleviate some of the challenges commuters face.
 
“This is a small, but important victory for Staten Island ferry riders,” said BP Oddo. “The ferry is not an amenity, it’s a necessity. Any way we can improve that service is key, especially with the four million tourists that will be riding the ferry next year. I explained the everyday challenges of Staten Islanders to the Mayor, and he was receptive to it. When it comes to the Ferry, the Mayor is a strong ally.”
 
“Staten Island has always had one of the longest commutes in the city,” noted Mayor de Blasio. “More and more there is a crowding issue getting onto the Ferry. It’s our job to make it better.”
 
Beginning in September, passengers will start boarding on the lower levels at both terminals. Additional security will be added at the lower level entrances.

​As part of his “City Hall in Your Borough” initiative, Mayor Bill de Blasio and his staff spent the week on Staten Island, making Borough Hall their home base. On Monday, April 10th, BP Oddo joined the Mayor at the 123rd Precinct in Tottenville to announce the expansion of the NYPD’s Neighborhood Policing program to the precinct. While the Mayor noted that the 123rd is already the safest precinct in the city, he also added that the area will further benefit from being part of the program.
 
“This is part of how we keep people safer. We believe neighborhood policing will bring our community and police closer. Officers bond with community leaders and everyday people. It gets them information that helps them stop crime,” said Mayor de Blasio.
 
“Staten Islanders want to know their police officers,” noted BP Oddo. “This is an opportunity for them to get to know each other. Police will make even better decisions by knowing the lay of the land and their neighbors. As we know, the epicenter of our opioid crisis is on the South Shore, so making the 123 a Neighborhood Policing Command makes all the sense in the world.”
 
Neighborhood policing is already underway in the borough’s 120th and 122nd precincts.

​On Wednesday, April 5th, Borough President James Oddo and District Attorney Michael E. McMahon hosted a Vietnam Veterans Welcome Home Breakfast at the Excelsior Grand. The ceremony, which commemorates the 50th anniversary of the conflict, honored those who served in the U.S. Armed Forced during the Vietnam War era.
 
The event began with a White Table Presentation by Dennis and Mary McLoone, which is a POW/MIA recognition ceremony. Speakers included BP Oddo, DA McMahon, Robert Mulhall, Veterans Court Mentor Coordinator, and Commissioner Loree Sutton of the NYC Department of Veterans Services.
 
“Understanding the reaction that you all got when you came back, it's even more incumbent upon us to honor you," noted BP Oddo, who also announced plans to host a Vietnam Veterans Forum in October.
 
“Welcome Home. Those were words you should have heard when you got back from answering the call of duty,” said DA McMahon.
 
Commissioner Sutton applauded the crowd, noting, “You all embody the spirit of Staten Island."
 
Following the speakers’ remarks, challenge coins were presented to all of the Veterans. Miss Staten Island 2017, Allison DeLuca, and Mary Mathieu performed musical selections at the event.
 
Over 200 Vietnam Veterans attended the breakfast.