On Monday, September 11th, hundreds gathered at the Postcards Memorial on the St. George Promenade for our annual 9/11 Memorial Ceremony. To mark the 16th anniversary of the tragedy, Borough President James Oddo, Mayor Bill de Blasio, and Lt. Governor Kathy Hochul addressed the families, friends, community members, and visitors who gathered for the solemn ceremony.

Family members of those we lost 16 years ago read the names of those killed in the attacks and shared memories of their loved ones. In addition to a special video tribute, the ceremony featured touching performances from Rev. Timothy Mercaldo, Jenna Flynn, Gabrielle Testa, Lt. Hughie Lynch, Staten Island Pipers, and Tottenville High School students.
 
"I want to thank you all for having the courage, the strength, the compassion and the resiliency you have shown for being here for each of these years. I hope this ceremony gives you a moment of comfort," Borough President Oddo said to the family and friends who gather annually for the ceremony.
 
Mayor de Blasio also noted the strength of those still struggling with the loss of their loved ones, "You've kept your families strong, and you've kept your families going, and you've carried on all the good in those you've lost. You've carried on their values. You've carried on their love. You've carried on their spirit of service to others. That light, that flame, will not be extinguished," de Blasio concluded.
 
“There's no place in America that more symbolizes the values we hold dear than what we see as the backdrop to this event. Let the legacy of those we lost be a rekindling of that beautiful, glorious spirit that we all felt as Americans," said Lt. Governor Kathy Hochul.
 
We thank all those who made the ceremony so special, including FDNY, NYPD, US Army North East Medical Area Readiness Support Group, US Coast Guard Sector NY, Tottenville High School JROTC, Fred Ariemma, Michael Black, NYCEDC, and the Staten Island Yankees.

​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 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.