Three candidates vying for Staten Island’s open City Council seat are finding common ground on some of the biggest local issues ahead of Tuesday’s special election.
Two Republicans and one Democrat are running in Tuesday’s non-partisan special election to fill the seat. Despite different backgrounds, Republicans Frank Morano and Griffin Fossella and Democrat Cliff Hagen share strikingly similar views on key neighborhood issues.
Morano, a talk radio host, was the first to throw his hat in the ring, days after Councilmember Joe Borelli resigned his seat earlier this year. Within weeks, Fossella, son of Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella, launched his bid. They’ll face off against Hagen, a middle school teacher on the island.
All three candidates have said they’re opposed to a proposed mixed-use hotel development in the Richmond Valley neighborhood.
In an interview with WNYC, Fossella said the development doesn’t “fit the character of the neighborhood.” Echoing that sentiment, Morano said the proposal is “dramatically out of step with the quality and character” of the area. Hagen said simply, “I stand with them.”
The trio also seized on rumors that the development's hotel portion might eventually be converted to a shelter of some sort. Mayor Eric Adams has called such rumors "misinformation," and Borough President Fossella has said he confirmed the city was not pursuing a shelter at the Richmond Valley site.
Still, Hagen said the South Shore of Staten Island was no place for people in need of city services.
“Folks who need services need to be near those services,” he said.
Morano said he was confident the project would not move forward.
“By hook or by crook, we're gonna kill it,” he said.
The candidates also fall in line against further development of battery energy storage facilities, citing safety concerns.
Morano said he would introduce legislation to “make it so that these battery energy storage sites can't be in residential communities.”
As for the sites already up and running on the island, Hagen said “that was a failure of leadership during these past five to 10 years.”
The candidates differ greatly in their experience.
Fossella, 27, has relied heavily on his association with the family name. He has leaned on his father’s experience as borough president and the legacy of his relative, Frank Fossella, who was a giant in Staten Island politics in the 1970s and 1980s.
When discussing his qualifications for the job, Morano relied on his long history in conservative politics more broadly. In addition to being a fixture on conservative talk radio, he worked for Borelli and earned his endorsement. Morano, who has served in the state’s Independence and Reform parties, said he’s “been supportive of every Republican elected official there is, including my opponent's father [Vito Fossella].”
Hagen cited his history working across the aisle as one of the reasons he’s best fit for the job, saying he’s made inroads with Republicans that run “pretty deep.” He said his work with former Borough President James Oddo and current Borough President Fossella point to the “terrific relationships” he has with Staten Island’s Republicans.
Hagen faces an uphill battle in Tuesday’s election. Staten Island’s 51st District is one of the city’s most conservative districts. During last year’s presidential election, residents voted overwhelmingly in support of President Donald Trump.
The winner in the special election will serve out the remainder of Borelli’s term, which would have ended at the end of this year.
Polls open on Tuesday, April 29 at 6 a.m. and close at 9 p.m.
