STATEN ISLAND, NY — With Election Day right around the corner, mayoral candidate and Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa took the day to visit multiple early election sites on Staten Island.
At the Church of The Holy Child Preschool in Annadale, the Republican nominee greeted Board of Election workers, expressing his gratitude for their commitment to the process.
“I’m going to continue with that and hit all the polling locations I can in the five boroughs, because I want to thank the Board of Election workers, because they’re helping keep democracy alive, and I want to thank all of my supporters who man the polls,” he stated.
According to Sliwa, one of his goals for these stops are to continue to break the stigma of early voting and encourage voter turnout in the days prior to Nov. 4. He noted previous worries around early voting and absentee ballots due to President Donald Trump’s past opposition, but says the GOP now embraces the alternative voting methods.
“Early voting is imperative. Donald Trump, when he was running, said, ‘No early voting, no absentee voting.’ He realized that may have cost him the 2020 election,” Sliwa stated outside the polling location. “It’s imperative that Republicans realize you don’t just have to show up on Nov. 4.”
Mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa visited Holy Child School in Annadale to express gratitude to poll workers during early voting on Wednesday, October 29, 2025.(Advance/SILive.com | Jan Somma-Hammel)
He cited his years of experience with elections, claiming that he saw voting participation drop from 80% in the 1960s prior to early voting to just over 50% in the 1990s during the Staten Island secession vote.
Early voting for Staten Islanders began on Oct. 25 and will conclude on Nov. 2, two days before election day.
Sliwa also took the time to chat with voters and supporters outside the school, reminding them that he has been paying attention to Staten Island for a long time. He stated that he is “always on Staten Island,” not just during elections, unlike his rivals, who he claims rediscovered the borough after the first debate.
He highlighted his time opposing the planned migrant shelters at St. John Villa and advocating during Hurricane Sandy recovery in 2012.
Mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa visited Holy Child School in Annadale to express gratitude to poll workers during early voting on Wednesday, October 29, 2025.(Advance/SILive.com | Jan Somma-Hammel)
The candidate also reiterated his opposition to the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity.
The plan, which was passed in late 2024, aims to bring a city-estimated 80,000 units of new housing to the five boroughs through a series of zoning regulation changes to things like accessory dwelling units, parking mandates and transit-oriented development.
Mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa visited Holy Child School in Annadale to express gratitude to poll workers during early voting on Wednesday, October 29, 2025.(Advance/SILive.com | Jan Somma-Hammel)
In a previous meeting with the Advance/SILive.com editorial board, Sliwa expressed his strong opposition the City of Yes initiative. He argued that apartments currently sit empty throughout the city and should be addressed before new construction. He also said that the empty space could be used to house New York City’s abandoned or stray animals, a key part of his animal welfare platform.
Before heading to his next location, Sliwa revealed that his plans for the next six days include maintaining a 20-hour campaign schedule that focuses on riding the subways, buses, Staten Island Ferry, as well as visiting polling sites across the city.
“I’m the mayor of mass transit,” he claimed. “There’s no doubt about it, and that’s where you find most of the people, even those that are not going to vote for me, those who disagree with me, but it’s a great focus group.”
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