NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- Could a Staten Island Declaration of Independence be part of America’s 250th anniversary celebrations in 2026?
The so-called “forgotten borough” is taking a fresh look at its long-running pull towards secession following the historic win of Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani last month.
While Mamdani got over 50% of the vote citywide, he only received 23% of votes on the more conservative Staten Island, where former Gov. Andrew Cuomo carried 55% of the vote.
“This is a number of people on Staten Island who want to pursue the secession question and determine the future of Staten Island in very short order,” Borough President Vito Fossella told 1010 WINS for a report Thursday.
This of course isn’t the first time Staten Island has floated the idea of seceding. In fact, 65% of residents voted as part of a referendum in 1993 to secede. But state lawmakers in Albany never moved it forward.
Fossella said the borough has its reasons for wanting to separate from the rest of the city.
“We talk about different things that happen across New York City. We don’t want them,” he said. “We get things we don’t want, and we don’t get things that we do want”
“There are concerns about public safety and what will happen,” he said. “There’s always a concern about taxes and the services we get in return. So there’s a real palpable sense that secession might be the long-term solution for the people of Staten Island, and I think they deserve to have that conversation.”
Fossella said he wants Mamdani to make sure Staten Islanders are treated equally.
“I’m a big believer that actions speak louder than words and the choices that are made really are more important than the rhetoric that’s on the table,” he said. “I will take the incoming mayor on his word that he wants to help. I hope he does.”
In any event, Fossella said he realizes secession is not that easy.
“I put more faith in the people of Staten Island than I do in leaders of other parts of the city to determine Staten Island’s fate,” he said. “But it’s not as easy as that. You can’t just wave a wand. There’s a legislative political process that needs to be addressed and followed, and I hope it doesn’t take years. We hope to get to it sooner rather than later.”