STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Staten Island officials gathered at Historic Richmond Town in Richmond on Friday to raise the borough’s newly approved official flag, marking a milestone in recognizing the borough’s identity within New York City.
The ceremony celebrated the passage of legislation that codified Staten Island’s flag into city law, making the borough the third to have one.
City Council Speaker Julie Menin presided over the legislation’s passage, and Councilman Frank Morano and City Council Minority Leader David Carr on Friday emphasized the flag as a symbol of borough pride and recognition.
Artist Emil Micah created the design at the request of former Borough President Jimmy Oddo, collaborating with illustrator Mike Stabbers on the finished emblem.Advance/SILive.com | Shaina McLawrence
“The first step in the city of New York saying to Staten Island that we value you as part of New York City is giving us the opportunity to have a flag,” Morano, a Republican who represents the South Shore, said at the ceremony. “The first step in taking back our neighborhoods and making sure they’re cleaner and making sure they’re well kept and making sure there’s no crime, making sure there’s no vandalism is that we need to take pride in our borough.”
When Morano first told Menin about his bill, she said she was shocked that Staten Island did not have a flag.
“I thought, ‘What do you mean there is no official flag of Staten Island? That’s crazy.’ This is about recognizing the contributions of Staten Island and Staten Island pride,” Menin, a Democrat who represents Manhattan’s Upper East Side, said. “This is about making sure that we are celebrating that at City Hall, throughout the borough and the city. This was absolutely very much a team effort.”
The legislation allows the flag to be flown at various civic functions, including parades and official receptions.
“The first step in the city of New York saying to Staten Island that we value you as part of New York City is giving us the opportunity to have a flag,” Councilman Frank Morano, a Republican who represents the South Shore, said at the ceremony.Advance/SILive.com | Shaina McLawrence
Artist Emil T. Micha designed the flag approximately eight years ago when then-Borough President Jimmy Oddo commissioned the project. Micha worked from a rough pencil sketch to create the design.
The flag incorporates Staten Island’s seal, which features a female figure standing on the borough holding a sword and shield. She is seen looking out onto the Narrows, where Henry Hudson’s ship “The Half Moon” and a smaller boat sail.
The armed female figure in the seal is meant to represent the city of New York.
“It absolutely encapsulates the history and pride of our borough,” said Carr, a Republican who represents the Mid-Island and part of Brooklyn.
“It absolutely encapsulates the history and pride of our borough,” said Carr, a Republican who represents the Mid-Island and part of Brooklyn.Advance/SILive.com | Shaina McLawrence
Jessica Phillips, CEO of Historic Richmond Town, said hosting the ceremony at the open air museum was fitting given its geographic location in the center of the borough and its mission to preserve Staten Island history.
“I thought, ‘What do you mean there is no official flag of Staten Island? That’s crazy.’ This is about recognizing the contributions of Staten Island and Staten Island pride,” said City Council Speaker Julie Menin.Advance/SILive.com | Shaina McLawrence
The council members and Menin expressed hope that the flag would be raised throughout Staten Island neighborhoods and become as common as the American flag in the borough.
“I’m hoping that this flag raising that we’re doing today is something that is replicated in every neighborhood in Staten Island in perpetuity and I hope we get to the point where the Staten Island flag is as ubiquitous all over Staten Island as the American flag is in the most patriotic borough,” Morano said.