Mamdani's NYC win sparks secession talk by Staten Island Republicans
- - Mamdani's NYC win sparks secession talk by Staten Island Republicans
Terry Collins, USA TODAYDecember 17, 2025 at 2:02 AM
0
A group of Republican lawmakers in Staten Island are talking about seceding from New York City in response to Zohran Mamdani's Nov. 4 election as mayor.
"It’s only going to get louder," Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella tells USA TODAY, noting that a majority of residents in the Republican-leaning borough didn’t vote for Mamdani, a self-professed democratic socialist. Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a moderate Democrat who ran as an independent, won 55% of mayoral votes in the borough, New York's most conservative, while Mamdani received nearly 23% and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa got 21%.
Other elected officials argue Staten Island remains the "forgotten borough" and, despite the failure of previous secession attempts, they want to see how far a renewed strategy can propel them in 2026 with Mamdani soon leading the city.
Pictured here, Mamdani waves on stage after winning the 2025 New York City Mayoral race, defeating Andrew Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa.
" style=padding-bottom:56%>Zohran Mamdani (D-NY) was elected Mayor of New York on Nov. 4, 2025. He was born in Uganda and moved to New York City with his family at the age of 7.
He drew historic numbers of South Asian and Muslim voters in the 2025 New York City election to vote for the first time. Pictured here, Mamdani waves on stage after winning the 2025 New York City Mayoral race, defeating Andrew Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa.
" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/HyfFw2876Rziy32GjW2xLA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04NzA-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/7d2087f9a3c2e1cb11cb446c7cc469ae class=caas-img data-headline="Meet Zohran Mamdani, New York City Mayor-elect" data-caption="
Zohran Mamdani (D-NY) was elected Mayor of New York on Nov. 4, 2025. He was born in Uganda and moved to New York City with his family at the age of 7.
He drew historic numbers of South Asian and Muslim voters in the 2025 New York City election to vote for the first time. Pictured here, Mamdani waves on stage after winning the 2025 New York City Mayoral race, defeating Andrew Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa.
">Zohran Mamdani (D-NY) was elected Mayor of New York on Nov. 4, 2025. He was born in Uganda and moved to New York City with his family at the age of 7.
He drew historic numbers of South Asian and Muslim voters in the 2025 New York City election to vote for the first time. Pictured here, Mamdani waves on stage after winning the 2025 New York City Mayoral race, defeating Andrew Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa.
" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/HyfFw2876Rziy32GjW2xLA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04NzA-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/7d2087f9a3c2e1cb11cb446c7cc469ae class=caas-img>
Duwaji is a Syrian-American illustrator and animator. After the election of Mamdani as New York City Mayor, she is now the city’s first Gen Z first lady.
" style=padding-bottom:56%>Zohran Mamdani met his wife, Rama Duwaji, on the dating app Hinge, a rival to Tinder and Bumble. The pair got married in early 2025.Duwaji is a Syrian-American illustrator and animator. After the election of Mamdani as New York City Mayor, she is now the city’s first Gen Z first lady.
" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/P8QxhxenQKfoYav.4QNjYw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/5082880536a4283e99462162733b6698 class=caas-img data-headline="Meet Zohran Mamdani, New York City Mayor-elect" data-caption="
Zohran Mamdani met his wife, Rama Duwaji, on the dating app Hinge, a rival to Tinder and Bumble. The pair got married in early 2025.Duwaji is a Syrian-American illustrator and animator. After the election of Mamdani as New York City Mayor, she is now the city’s first Gen Z first lady.
">Zohran Mamdani met his wife, Rama Duwaji, on the dating app Hinge, a rival to Tinder and Bumble. The pair got married in early 2025.Duwaji is a Syrian-American illustrator and animator. After the election of Mamdani as New York City Mayor, she is now the city’s first Gen Z first lady.
" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/P8QxhxenQKfoYav.4QNjYw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/5082880536a4283e99462162733b6698 class=caas-img>
Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani participates in the second New York City mayoral debate with Independent candidate and former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa at LaGuardia Performing Arts Center at LaGuardia Community College in Long Island City, Queens, New York, on Oct. 22, 2025.
He drew historic numbers of South Asian and Muslim voters in the 2025 New York City election to vote for the first time.
" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/VEaCMkKuKDz_vMGPVWFLpg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/c5e6078878b851a55fb6f4edbf3995f3 class=caas-img data-headline="Meet Zohran Mamdani, New York City Mayor-elect" data-caption="
Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani participates in the second New York City mayoral debate with Independent candidate and former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa at LaGuardia Performing Arts Center at LaGuardia Community College in Long Island City, Queens, New York, on Oct. 22, 2025.
He drew historic numbers of South Asian and Muslim voters in the 2025 New York City election to vote for the first time.
">Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani participates in the second New York City mayoral debate with Independent candidate and former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa at LaGuardia Performing Arts Center at LaGuardia Community College in Long Island City, Queens, New York, on Oct. 22, 2025.
He drew historic numbers of South Asian and Muslim voters in the 2025 New York City election to vote for the first time.
" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/VEaCMkKuKDz_vMGPVWFLpg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/c5e6078878b851a55fb6f4edbf3995f3 class=caas-img>
1 / 20Meet Zohran Mamdani, New York City Mayor-electNew York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani arrives for a press conference at City Hall Park on Nov. 20, 2025 in New York. US President Donald Trump said he will host New York's Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani for a meeting Friday, Nov. 21, 2025 after fiercely attacking the 34-year-old self-described Democratic Socialist during his recent campaign.
Now, state Assemblyman Sam Pirozzolo raised eyebrows last month when he hosted a rally where he read a "Staten Island Independence Declaration." Dozens of attendees signed a related petition as the event took place on the island where British soldiers were first told about the Declaration of Independence on July 9, 1776.
Pirozzolo tells USA TODAY he’s "not declaring a physical war" on New York City, but secession should be strongly considered. He believes that Mamdani’s victory may not bode well for Staten Island’s nearly 500,000 residents.
"I feel we really don’t have an equal voice in New York City. It’s been diluted and it could get even worse if the city is going to be run under a socialist model," Fossella said. "You can say it’s almost like a relationship that’s going bad. They’re just not into us anymore."
Not exactly heading for the 'burbs: Are the rich fleeing Mamdani’s Manhattan? Not according to the data.
Borough’s temptation with secession spans decades
Connected to Manhattan only by ferry and to Brooklyn by one bridge, and consisting mostly of houses spread out on winding streets, much of Staten Island feels like a suburb. It is the least-populous and whitest borough, and it has the second-highest median income after Manhattan.
Some Staten Island residents has talked about leaving the nation's most populous city since almost right after the city of greater New York was founded in 1898. With ample parkland and a home ownership rate more than double the citywide average, it is physically and culturally closer to New Jersey than the city's other boroughs.
Frustrated with New York City's high taxes, a poor public transportation system, and huge amounts of city garbage dumped there – literally, with the Fresh Kills Landfill – Staten Island flirted with secession when residents in 1993 passed a non-binding referendum in favor of it with 65% support.
But secession needs state approval, and the momentum fizzled when state lawmakers didn’t even bring the measure to a vote. Subsequently, then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani eventually made the Staten Island Ferry free for residents and shut down the dump.
Since then, other Staten Island-based politicians have tossed secession ideas around, including Republican New York City Council Members Joe Borelli and Steven Matteo in 2019 and Borelli again in 2022. In 2023, Republican Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, who represents the borough in Congress, revived Staten Island secession talks after the city decided to use a closed school as a makeshift site for migrants.
"It’s time that we have this conversation again," Pirozzolo said. "We are at war because the city seems to have values that we disagree with. Some of the policies that fit in Manhattan don’t fit in Staten Island, and what they do in Queens and Brooklyn are what we don’t want to have here.
"Yeah, it feels like we are the forgotten borough," Pirozzolo concluded.
New York State Assemblyman Sam Pirozzolo, a Republican from Staten Island, created a "Staten Island Independence Declaration." He's looking into seceding the borough from New York City. Pirozzolo believes city officials don't have Staten Island's best interests in mind.Even Staten Island Democrats may feel overlooked
While the southern two-thirds of Staten Island lean Republican, the island's racially and ethnically diverse North Shore, which lies closest to Manhattan, was carried by Mamdani.
Nonetheless, New York City Council Member Kamillah Hanks, a Democrat who represents the North Shore, told USA TODAY she understands why secession is "emotionally attractive" to many residents.
While her district may most resemble other parts of New York City, with five public housing authority developments, Hanks believes that City Hall often overlooks Staten Island’s needs.
"I don’t dismiss the (secession) sentiment, because it’s rooted in a legitimate desire to be heard, respected and valued," Hanks said. "These inequities aren't imagined. They’re real, documented, and long-shaped the frustrations many Staten Islanders feel."
Mamdani’s transition team did not immediately return USA TODAY’s request for comment.
Several attendees line up to sign a "Staten Island Independence Declaration" petition in November 2025. NY State Assemblyman Pirozzolo is looking into the borough possibly seceding from New York City. He argues that Staten Island continues to be the "forgotten borough."
What is democratic socialism?: Mamdani's NYC mayoral victory highlights his ideology.
Finding balance between ‘need to secede vs can we afford to?’
New York State Sen. Andrew Lanza, a Staten Island Republican, told the The New York Post he wants residents to vote on secession again. He plans to reintroduce his stalled 2008 secession bill as soon as January, according to the Post. Lanza compares the borough’s quest for independence from the city to the United States' quest for freedom from the British.
But it’s not that easy, New York City Council Member Frank Morano tells USA TODAY. Before pushing for a referendum, the Staten Island Republican is crafting a bill requiring New York City to do an economic feasibility study to analyze what it would cost for Staten Island to lose access to city resources.
Morano insists he’s not asking for secession, even though a majority of residents want it explored. He understands his constituents’ angst that, no matter whom or what policies they vote for, they feel continuously dismissed by New York City’s other lawmakers.
New York State Assemblyman Sam Pirozzolo, a Republican from Staten Island, signs a "Staten Island Independence Declaration" petition in November 2025. Pirozzolo is looking into the borough possibly seceding from New York City. He argues it is the "forgotten borough."
Hanks shares a similar sentiment. She is one of three city council members representing Staten Island, as the four other boroughs, Brooklyn, each have at least twice as many council districts, due to their larger populations.
"Even when Staten Island’s elected officials come together, we are often outvoted or outnumbered at the city, state, and federal levels," Hanks said. "That’s the reality of our representation.
"But that doesn’t mean we stop fighting,” Hanks continued. "We fight smarter. We build coalitions, present data, and push for policy grounded in equity and results."
Morano believes Staten Islanders should have the autonomy to determine their own fate.
"But we never get a clean breakdown on what we give fiscally and what we get back in return. That’s why I’m somewhat skeptical this could raise our taxes, and that’s why we need a study, a comprehensive dollars and cents approach," Morano said. "I’d like to have a referendum, but I’d like to have the facts first. Staten Islanders deserve to have real numbers to have a real say in their future."
Morano said he’s trying to find the right, realistic balance of "'We need to secede versus Can we afford to?'"
'That's what I ran to do': Zohran Mamdani ready 'for any consequence' standing up to ICE
Secession must be based on ‘real numbers, not slogans’
A lifelong Staten Island resident, Hanks said secession represents autonomy, self-determination, and, in the residents’ minds, the ability to chart their own path.
For residents, independence could require tax hikes or service cuts. Two studies of revenues and expenditures from the early 1990s found that an independent Staten Island would have run a deficit of $171 million to $199 million.
"But practically speaking, secession is impractical," Hanks said. "It would create tax burdens far greater than what we currently face under the city structure."
One longtime New York City expert agrees.
"Studies have shown Staten Island doesn't have a strong enough economic base, and it simply doesn't generate enough taxes for secession," Mitchell Moss, a professor at New York University’s Wagner School for Public Service and adviser to former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg. "We'll see how much Mamdani pays attention to them."
Morano said that’s why his plea for an economic study is vital.
"We have the democratic right to choose," Morano continued. "But I feel this has to be based on real numbers, not slogans or promises. I’m all for democracy, but what I’d like is democracy with data."
Morano hopes his proposed legislation could be introduced later this month and get a hearing within the next six months ‒ or sooner.
"The question about secession is being asked louder than ever," Morano said. "So, let’s do our absolute best to answer it responsibly."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mamdani's NYC win has Staten Island Republicans talking secession
Source: “AOL Breaking”
