STATEN ISLAND, NY — A Staten Island elected official said Friday that he’s ready to lead a charge to consider—once again—whether the borough should become an independent city.
State Assemblymember Sam Pirozzolo, a Republican, held an event at the corner of Richmond Road and New Dorp Lane to generate interest in an updated review of Staten Island secession, as well as to read his own “Staten Island Independence Declaration.”
“We the citizens of Staten Island declare, when in the course of civic events it becomes necessary for one borough to dissolve the political bonds which have connected it with a distant and unresponsive government, we should declare the causes which impel us to seek separation,” reads the start of Pirozzolo’s document.
Pirozzolo had published a video on social media inviting the public to join him at the event, which follows decades of conversation about Staten Island forming its own city, most recently in 2023 when Borough President Vito Fossella said his office would fund a new study to learn what an independent Staten Island would look like.
Sam Pirozzolo read his “Staten Island Independence Declaration” at historic site, calling for updated secession study and claiming the borough is unfairly treated by NYC government.Advance/SILive | Nicolette Cavallaro
In the 1990s, a local referendum found that 65% of Staten Island voters supported secession, but implementation was opposed by the city government and was blocked by the State Assembly. Years later in 2019, then-Councilmember Joe Borelli, a Republican who represented the South Shore, also introduced a set of bills to study the feasibility of secession, with support from another Republican state lawmaker, Assemblymember Michael Reilly.
Although Friday’s event closely follows the mayoral election of democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani, Pirozzolo railed against policy positions of past, current and incoming city leaders.
Despite some reservations about Mamdani, most of Staten Island’s Republican elected officials have expressed hope for a collaborative relationship with the incoming mayor, while still vowing to “fight” for Staten Island “values.”
A historic site for independence
Friday’s event took place at the former site of the Rose and Crown Tavern, where the Declaration of Independence was first read by British soldiers on Staten Island in 1776.
Pirozzolo drew parallels between the revolutionaries’ grievances in that moment and those he stated against modern city governance, including a judge’s recent decision to thow out a City of Yes lawsuit, and what he characterizes in a video as being “overtaxed with symbolic representation.”
He said the the city has “ignored and abandoned” the borough.
“We have petitioned time and time again for fairness, for reliable transportation, for safe streets and for our local voices to be heard,” the document reads.
Sam Pirozzolo read his “Staten Island Independence Declaration” at historic site, calling for updated secession study and claiming the borough is unfairly treated by NYC government.Advance/SILive | Nicolette Cavallaro‘This is about the freedom of Staten Islanders’
Pirozzolo made clear that it would take many years to see an independent Staten Island, and said he hopes to lead a push to update the previously completed secession study and prove that the borough could be self-sustaining.
Some concerns about secession he addressed included maintaining first responder services, building an education system and the potential for taxes to increase.
“Everybody who’s concerned about, ‘my taxes might go up.’ They might, but I’ve got news for you. They’re going up anyway, no matter what you do.
“I say that we should spend that money for Staten Island schools, Staten Island roads,” Pirozzolo said. “This is about the freedom of Staten Islanders to choose their own fate moving forward.”
In his new, nearly 500-word written declaration, the assemblymember claimed that Staten Island is treated unfairly. The document states that Staten Islanders are entitled to representation, fairness and respect, and argues the current and incoming government are destructive to these principles. It also criticizes city leadership for neglecting the borough’s infrastructure and businesses.
Sam Pirozzolo read his “Staten Island Independence Declaration” at historic site, calling for updated secession study and claiming the borough is unfairly treated by NYC government.Advance/SILive | Nicolette Cavallaro
Sam Pirozzolo read his “Staten Island Independence Declaration” at historic site, calling for updated secession study and claiming the borough is unfairly treated by NYC government.Advance/SILive | Nicolette Cavallaro
“Our taxes are collected eagerly, yet our roads crumble, our ferries falter and our small businesses suffocate under regulations written for other boroughs. We are taxed as if we are Manhattan, but we are treated as if we are expendable,” he read. “City Hall, instead of serving all five boroughs equally, has capitulated to the growing influence of the socialist ideologues who seek to reshape New York into a laboratory for their failed political experiments. They promote policies that demonize law enforcement, crush working class homeowners and drain opportunity from communities that value hard work and independence. The city no longer represents a balance of voices.”
The small group of gathered Staten Islanders were encouraged to sign the new written declaration after Pirozzolo became the first signatory.
He noted legislation has not yet been put forward to revisit the study, but said he would build a coalition of local officials to support it.
The incoming Mamdani administration did not respond to a request for comment by time of publication.
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