Staten Island Borough President

Staten Island Borough President
Current Author: K. Lefebvre Former Author: Vector-Images.com (vectorized by Alex · Public domain · source
Office name	Staten Island Borough President
Insignia	Seal of Richmond County, New York.svg
Incumbentsince	January 1, 2022
Style	The Honorable
Seat	St. George, Staten Island
Termlength	Four years
Formation	1898
Inaugural	Henry H. Gifford

Staten Island Borough President is the elected executive of Staten Island, one of the five boroughs of New York City and coextensive with Richmond County, New York. The office was created by the consolidation of the City of New York and the five boroughs and has evolved from an influential municipal post to a position with advisory, advocacy, and budgetary allocation roles within the modern New York City Charter. The Borough President represents Staten Island in intergovernmental relations with entities such as the New York City Council, the Mayor of New York City, and state and federal agencies.

History

The office originated with the consolidation movement led by figures like Theodore Roosevelt and Fiorello H. La Guardia that culminated in the Consolidation of 1898. Early officeholders such as Henry H. Gifford served when borough presidents had seats on the Board of Estimate of New York City, which held significant authority over municipal contracts, budgets, and land-use decisions alongside the Mayor of New York City and the New York City Comptroller. Following the Board of Estimate v. Morris decision by the United States Supreme Court in 1989, which found the Board’s structure violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, the New York City Charter was revised in 1989–1990 under the oversight of figures like Rudolph Giuliani and David Dinkins, shifting many powers away from borough presidents to the New York City Council and the Mayor's Office. Subsequent reforms reshaped the Borough President into an advocate for borough-wide priorities, budgeting via the local capital project process, and appointment powers to local Community Boards, reflecting precedents set in other municipal reform efforts such as those influenced by the Tweed Ring era and later anti-corruption movements.

Powers and Responsibilities

The Borough President holds statutory and charter-based authorities including appointment of members to Staten Island Community Boards, preparation of borough-specific statements on land use during Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) processes overseen by the New York City Planning Commission, and submission of recommendations to the New York City Council on capital and expense budget items administered by the New York City Department of City Planning and the New York City Department of Transportation. The office advises agencies such as the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and state agencies including the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation on borough priorities. The Borough President can use Bronx Borough President-style advocacy tools—public hearings, reports, and grants via the Citywide and Borough Capital Budget—to influence projects like waterfront redevelopment in areas adjacent to St. George, Staten Island, Stapleton, Staten Island, and the South Shore. The office also exercises ceremonial duties, constituent services, liaison work with members of the United States Congress from districts overlapping Staten Island such as representatives from NY-11, and coordination with state legislators including members of the New York State Senate and New York State Assembly.

Officeholders

Since 1898, Staten Island has been represented by a succession of borough presidents including early figures like Henry H. Gifford and 20th-century leaders such as Joseph A. Palma, Cornelius A. Hagan, and John V. Shields. In later decades, notable officeholders included Guy Molinari, who later served in the United States House of Representatives, and his daughter Susan Molinari, who also served in Congress. Other recent borough presidents included James S. Molinaro, who served multiple terms, and successors who engaged with figures such as Rudy Giuliani, Michael Bloomberg, and Bill de Blasio at the municipal level. Officeholders have come from major parties including the Republican Party and the Democratic Party, often reflecting Staten Island's distinct electoral profile compared with Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and The Bronx.

Elections

Borough President elections occur every four years concurrent with other New York Citywide offices including Mayor of New York City and New York City Comptroller. Campaigns have featured issues connected to transportation projects like the Staten Island Ferry, debates over Cross-Harbor Rail Tunnel proposals, and local land-use controversies such as waterfront rezonings near Tottenville and New Dorp Beach. Candidates often face primary contests within the Republican and Democratic parties and, at times, third-party challenges from entities like the Working Families Party, the Conservative Party of New York State, and the Libertarians. Election administration is managed by the New York City Board of Elections, with campaign finance regulated under the New York City Campaign Finance Program and state election law administered by the New York State Board of Elections.

Administration and Budget

The Borough President’s staff manages offices in St. George and neighborhood service centers across Staten Island and coordinates with agencies such as the New York City Department of Finance for capital allocations and the New York City Department of Small Business Services for economic development programs. Budgets include discretionary items channeled through the Capital Budget and through borough-based municipal grants, with oversight by the New York City Independent Budget Office and audit functions occasionally involving the New York State Comptroller and the Office of the New York City Comptroller. Administrative responsibilities extend to constituent casework, interagency task forces on issues like coastal resiliency following events such as Hurricane Sandy (2012), and partnerships with non-governmental organizations including the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce and Historic Richmond Town.

Notable Initiatives and Controversies

Borough Presidents have championed projects such as waterfront redevelopment adjacent to the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, transit improvements for the Staten Island Railway, and return-to-play funding for parks like Clove Lakes Park. Controversies have included disputes over land-use approvals, conflicts during the Board of Estimate era culminating in the Board of Estimate v. Morris litigation, and debates over local responses to events like Hurricane Sandy (2012) and pandemic-era policy during the COVID-19 pandemic. High-profile clashes involved coordination with city executives such as Rudy Giuliani, Michael Bloomberg, and Bill de Blasio, as well as interactions with state leaders including Andrew Cuomo and federal officials like Donald Trump on issues from transportation funding to disaster recovery.

Category:Richmond County, New York