STATEN ISLAND, NY — Joseph Homsey loves playground swings.
Going for a swing in Clove Lakes Park was something he did often as a child, when he stayed out in neighborhood parks until the streetlights came on. It’s something he can do now, just steps away from his new office.
“To be in Parks, you have to be a bit of a kid,” the native Staten Islander, who has two young children of his own, said while walking the historic outdoor space.
Homsey was named Staten Island’s new borough parks commissioner in June, and has spent every moment since then immersing himself in the parks he has loved since childhood. But he didn’t start his career with an eye on this position, which oversees the borough’s vast amount of public amenities and more than 7,700 acres of parkland; at first, he just wanted to work outside.
New NYC Parks Staten Island Borough Commissioner in Clove Lakes Park on Friday, May 7, 2025.(Advance/SILive.com | Jason Paderon)
Homsey’s parents instilled the importance of time outdoors and nature in him at a young age. He’d ride his bike from his house to his local park, and spend his time exploring the grounds, petting the Parks Enforcement Patrol horses and skating at WWII Veterans Memorial Ice Rink in Sunnyside.
He was involved in the Boy Scouts, and was even an assistant ranger at William H. Pouch Scout Camp in Sea View for many years, which sparked his interests in parks and community service.
Homsey attended City University of New York’s John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and received a Bachelor of Arts in forensic psychology. Years later, he returned to John Jay to complete a Master of Public Administration, as well as an advanced certificate in emergency management.
His first parks job was in enforcement, which focused on maintaining the rules and regulations of urban park spaces. He eventually moved into a city position in the Stewardship Program, where he worked as both a coordinator and outreach manager. There, Homsey was an asset during the MillionTreesNYC initiative, a plan to plant and care for one million trees across the five boroughs.
New NYC Parks Staten Island Borough Commissioner in Clove Lakes Park on Friday, May 7, 2025.(Advance/SILive.com | Jason Paderon)
But, as years passed, he craved the familiarity of the parks he grew up in, and pivoted to a project development coordinator role within Staten Island’s very own Stonehenge, the 20th century building on the grounds of Clove Lakes Park that contains the borough’s Department of Parks & Recreation offices.
“I came back to manage projects in my home borough because being in a citywide team is great, but I’m a Staten Islander, this is my bread and butter here,” Homsey said. “So, I came back here and I’ve been here since.”
In 2019, he was promoted to chief of staff of the Staten Island office, where he focused on general communications, improving playgrounds, and community involvement.
His predecessor, Lynda Ricciardone, who had been commissioner since 2015, took the time to teach some core values to her successor.
“She instilled in me a lot of things [like] how to manage land and people and relationships, which is ultimately what parks is. That’s what we do,” he said.
New NYC Parks Staten Island Borough Commissioner in Clove Lakes Park on Friday, May 7, 2025.(Advance/SILive.com | Jason Paderon)
He also developed a hands-on leadership style. His view is that one must be a member of the team you lead. It’s why even months into the job, he still spends times at park clean ups and attending project openings.
“If in front of the building needs to be shoveled sometimes we shoveled. Being the commissioner doesn’t change that the work has to be done. It’s 7,700 acres of land; it takes a village to maintain this property.”
Early achievements
Although it has only been a few months, Homsey hit the ground running and has achieved many things in his new position.
One of his first achievements was creating a brand new leadership position, titled Administrator for South Shore Parks, to help bring together the multiple park groups and volunteer organizations into a South Shore Park coalition. Collaboration and community involvement are two of Homsey’s highest priorities.
“We haven’t always had a huge plethora of volunteers, but it’s really important to get community involvement in parks,” he mentioned. “Ultimately, these parks are everybody’s backyards, and having that engagement is very helpful.”
Along with this increase in volunteerism and community participation, the new commissioner wants to focus on building new community relations in underserved areas, increasing communication within neighborhoods and improving playground and park infrastructure.
To Homsey, this all comes down to accessibility.
“Every time a project goes through capital construction and development, a key thing that’s always being looked at is the accessibility of the actual play units, to the accessibility of where the park is located,” he stated.
Overall, the South Shore resident wants to focus his time on both new amenities and maintenance of existing ones.
Upcoming projects
Some upcoming projects he is looking forward to include the completion of The Mary Cali Dalton Center, which will serve as a replacement to the old George Cromwell Recreation Center on the North Shore following a $92 million renovation, and the Wolfe’s Pond Playground, which is undergoing a $7 million renovation. He also wants to continue to tackle the transformation of Fresh Kills into usable parkland, and explore the innovative uses for the large landscape.
His vision for the future of Staten Island parks focuses on ensuring all these open spaces are useful, accessible and well-maintained.
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