Virtual ceremony to honor those lost 19 years ago as well as the First Responders who perished subsequently due to their work at Ground Zero
 
In order to ensure the safety of all, Borough President James Oddo will host a virtual 9/11 Memorial Ceremony to remember the Staten Islanders we lost 19 years ago and to pay tribute to those First Responders who have subsequently died from their service at Ground Zero on Friday, Sept. 11, 2020 at 6:30 PM.
 
This live-streamed virtual ceremony will reflect the performances of previous years’ ceremonies, reading of the names of the Staten Islanders who were lost on 9/11, as well as a reading of the names of the First Responders who have perished since that day by family and friends, recorded last week. A new video tribute will honor those we lost.
 
This ceremony can be viewed at 6:30 PM on our website statenislandusa.com/Sept11, on our Facebook Page @StatenIslandUSA, or on our YouTube Channel youtube.com/SIUSABP. It can also be viewed on Staten Island CTV.
 
As always, the Postcards Memorial site and the Staten Island First Responders Memorial is open to the public and will be so on Friday, September 11th. While at the site, masks must be worn and social distancing must be practiced. We will have designated times for both quiet reflection and socially distanced gathering on that day for those who wish to visit:
 

• 9am to 12pm: Site open for quiet reflection
• 12pm to 6:30pm: Site open; roses available from Borough Hall staff to be laid on the monument; musical selections playing nearby from past memorial ceremonies, designed to bring comfort
• 6:30pm: The names of those lost will be read by family members and friends via broadcast on television screens at the memorial site; following the Tribute Readings, the Memorial Tribute Video will also play
• 7pm: Quiet reflection, monument lit in red, white and blue

 
We want to extend a special thank you to those who have read the names of those we lost, which will be a very special part of this year’s virtual ceremony. 
 
“As you know, it will be my great honor to host the Staten Island 9/11 Memorial Ceremony again this year, although we will do so virtually, as that is the only way to ensure the safety of all,” noted Borough President Oddo. “Although the event will be in a different format for this year, we will still join together to honor those we lost on that terrible day 19 years ago, and the First Responders who have passed since then as a result of their bravery on that day and in the days that followed. COVID-19 has presented us with an extraordinary challenge this year. We want to thank you for your understanding and cooperation and look forward to a time when we can be together again. Right now, I truly hope you find solace in the arrangements we have made.”
 
Please note that virtual ceremony will not be played at the site. The virtual ceremony, in its entirety, is available via the Internet and CTV.

​Borough President Oddo announced today a litter PSA video featuring local kids (Borough Hall staff families) expressing their disgust for litter.
 
The PSA video shows that “even the kids know” litter is bad for where we live, but “they know what to do”: pick it up and throw it in the trash can.
 
“Staten Island listen up. Our litter problem is a self-inflicted one that Staten Islanders are doing to other Staten Islanders, one that Staten Islanders are doing to kids who are calling on you to help them keep their home clean. We hope these Staten Islanders grow up to be less inclined to act selfishly and demonstrate a greater appreciation for their neighbors and our Island,” said Borough President Oddo.
 
This first video features the children and grandchildren of Borough Hall staffers sharing the message to keep Staten Island clean. This is meant to kick off the new campaign and the Borough President is asking Staten Island parents to share videos of their kids sharing their messages to properly dispose of garbage and keep our borough clean. If interested in your child taking part in our anti-litter campaign, please contact Renee Sarno at RSarno@statenislandusa.com for details.
 
Borough President Oddo last week announced the resurgence of “Own the 18,” an anti-litter program, which encourages home and business owners to remove litter from their property, as well as 18 inches into the street, as required by NYC Administrative Code: Section 16-118(2)(a). During the weekend of July 18 (July 17-18), Borough President Oddo is asking Staten Island property and business owners to commit to taking a few moments to clean in front of their properties. Those who participate are encouraged to post before and after photos on social media with the hashtag #OwnThe18 to be re-posted by the office’s social media accounts.

On Thursday, Dec. 5, DBP Ed Burke hosted Borough Hall’s annual Christmas Tree Lighting.

“I love this time of year,” he said. “All of the holidays this time of the year, let’s face it, are about giving, charity, and love – and that’s really evident with all of you showing up here for the tree lighting.”

At the event, carols were performed by local talents, including Al Lambert, D. Sharp Studios, Miss Staten Island Madison L'Insalata, and Rob and Lizz Kipp.

The kids of D. Sharp Studios -- decked in Santa hats -- dazzled the crowd with Christmas favorites before leading a sing-along to “Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer.” Scooter the Holy Cow, the mascot of the Staten Island Yankees, was spotted dancing in the crowd.

After the music, the big moment came: Santa arrived at Borough Hall by way of a police escort. With a hearty “Ho, Ho, Ho,” he made his way up the steps. After a countdown from 10, the giant switch was pulled: “The tree is lit,” said DBP Burke.

Santa then handed out books, donated by Barnes & Noble, to the children in attendance.

The tree lighting was sponsored by Allstate, Barnes & Noble, the Gavel Grill, Rispoli Bakery, Killmeyer’s Old Baveria Inn, Downtown Staten Island, the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce, the Staten Island Yankees, the National Lighthouse Museum, the NYPD, the city Parks Department, the South Shore Rotary, Project One Staten Island and Casandra Properties.

​​Thank you to all our sponsors and performers. We wish all Staten Islanders a happy and safe holiday season.

This year for Halloween, Borough President Oddo hosted “Trick or Treat Around SI,” a free Halloween event for children and their families.  In partnership with 5 Staten Island business districts, Trick-or-Treat Around Staten Island allowed costumed children and their families across Staten Island the opportunity to trick-or-treat throughout each district at participating businesses.

In years prior, Borough President Oddo has hosted the annual “Halloween Hoopla” at Bloomingdale Park. The event has been changed this year due to the park’s closure for renovations and reconstruction. “I am happy to once again host a special celebration that kids of all ages can enjoy,” said BP Oddo. 

Thank you to the following business development districts for participating: Castleton Avenue Merchants Organization, Downtown Staten Island, Forest Avenue Business Improvement District, South Shore Business Improvement District, and Victory Boulevard Merchants Association. To see all the participating businesses within each district, please refer to this page. Each district received 100 trick-or-treat bags from our office for children to get allergy free candy (no nuts, no chocolate) from  participating businesses.

Thank you to everyone for making this event such a success! Happy Halloween! 

September is Library Card Sign-Up Month! It couldn’t be easier to get your free NYPL The New York Public Library library card and take advantage of all the resources they have to offer.

You can go in at any time to your local NYPL branch to renew your card, all it takes is a photo ID and 5 minutes of your time! You can even renew online at nypl.org/librarycard.

What can you do with an NYPL library card? Browse, borrow, and read more than 300,000 e-books instantly on your phone, learn 71 different languages with Mango Languages, get ready for the TASC, GRE, and SAT exams with prep materials and practice tests, or learn something new with over 3,000 online classes and over 130,000 streaming videos.

Go get your library card. Read a book.

​Borough President Oddo recently joined with CTV to host a panel discussion with two Vietnam War Veterans, Gene DiGiacomo and Eugene Overton. They shared their stories of their time in country and their experiences coming home.

"After hearing what they went through, my respect for Vietnam Vets like Eugene and Gene grows," noted BP Oddo. "Two thirds of the Americans who served in Vietnam are no longer alive. We lose an estimated 390 Vietnam vets a day. Let's honor those still with us. Please watch this video and share it so these men's stories are not forgotten."

The forum will air on CTV this month in honor of Veterans Day. You can watch it below: