STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Councilmember Frank Morano secured his South Shore seat for the third time Tuesday night.
Morano, 40, won the seat in April’s special election after former Councilmember Joe Borelli stepped down earlier in the year. Morano bested Democratic candidate Cliff Hagen, and Independent candidate, John Buthorn.
1/31
Election night on Staten Island 2025
Morano celebrated his win surrounded by about people, including friends, family, constituents, and other elected representatives.
“To my staff, tomorrow, we have a meeting at 1 o’clock in the afternoon, and we are going to discuss our game plan for winning reelection in four years,” said Morano at the Vanderbilt at South Beach, where the Staten Island Republicans held their election night party.
“I’m convinced we have a vision that the people of the South Shore have responded to, and we’re going to formulate that vision tomorrow and work for the next four years in implementing it,” he added.
As of 11 p.m. on Tuesday night, Morano had accumulated 77.5% of the vote, compared to 20.6% for Hagen and 1.75% for Buthorn, according to the NYCBOE.
Hagen conceded the race.
“We certainly outpaced expectations tonight on the South Shore. Nobody expected we would win, but we improved,” he said, claiming they doubled democratic votes on South Shore from four years ago. “We’re doing really well after the setbacks of the past decade. Things are changing.”
Buthorn also offered his concession: “I want to congratulate Frank Morano on a strong campaign and well-earned victory. His wins are the community’s wins, and I wish him success as he works to serve the South Shore.”
Morano’s rise
Morano’s rise to political stature on Staten Island began after Councilmember Joe Borelli abruptly step down earlier in the year.
Morano, a lifelong Staten Islander and longtime political activist, said that an early effort of his first few months in office has been trying to instill a greater sense of civic pride among his fellow borough residents in an editorial board with the Advance/SILive.com in September.
To that end, the councilmember said he’s held a series of community events to try to bring people together, and his first piece of introduced legislation would officially recognize the flag of Staten Island in the city administrative code.
Morano additionally has been vocal in the fight against battery energy storage sites in residential areas and the City of Yes for Housing development plan.
Morano also called for discounts for express bus riders and proposed to take a look at allowing right turns on red lights here.
Prior to his candidacy, Morano served as a radio talkshow host at John Catsimatidis’ WABC-AM station.
If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.