After the Nov. 4 election \u2014 which saw Republican mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa soundly defeated even on Staten Island \u2014 GOP Chairman Michael Tannousis called the results a \u201cvictory.\u201d Really?<\/p>\n
I don\u2019t see it that way. To me, it was a loss within a divided and distracted party.<\/p>\n
More importantly, we now have a socialist in power because of the lack of judgment and leadership within the local GOP, which seems to think that ranting, raving, and cursing out anyone who disagrees is a winning formula. Hint: it\u2019s not.<\/p>\n
In what became the worst-kept secret on Staten Island, the Republican Party quietly abandoned the borough\u2019s top Republican running for re-election \u2014 Borough President Vito Fossella.<\/p>\n
Why? Because he had the courage to stand up to the \u201cgang,\u201d as many now call party leadership.<\/p>\n
This group pushed out respected figures like Mary Reilly from the Executive Committee while continuing the bad habit of running friends and staffers regardless of ability or philosophy.<\/p>\n
The Guy Molinari days of choosing the best person to represent the people are long gone. Today\u2019s leadership seems more interested in holding power than doing what\u2019s right for the party or Staten Islanders.<\/p>\n
Just ask anyone interested in becoming a judicial candidate \u2014 they\u2019ll tell you exactly which rings need to be kissed.<\/p>\n
Speaking of judges: What should have been an easy win for Judge Remy Smith ended in defeat. Instead of supporting the entire Republican ticket, party leaders fixated on Sliwa \u2014 a perennial candidate whose campaign barely changes from one failed run to the next.<\/p>\n
The results speak for themselves. Sliwa received about 30,000 votes on Staten Island \u2014 roughly 40,000 fewer than he did in 2021, and around 65,000 fewer than Borough President Fossella.<\/p>\n
Sliwa even finished third, behind the socialist candidate, who received roughly 33,000 votes.<\/p>\n
One Republican elected official, Frank Morano, even appeared to openly support the Democratic candidate for borough president. The party\u2019s response? Silence.<\/p>\n
Despite these deceitful efforts, Fossella still received the most votes of any candidate on the ballot \u2014 more than all three Republican City Council candidates combined.<\/p>\n
Party leaders made the Sliwa campaign their top priority. Yet smarter Republican voters overwhelmingly rejected that advice because they knew the real priority was stopping a socialist from taking City Hall \u2014 and that Sliwa had no chance of winning.<\/p>\n
That misplaced effort hurt strong Republican candidates down the line and revealed how out of touch party leadership has become with both its members and everyday Staten Islanders.<\/p>\n
Now the local GOP seems convinced that ranked choice voting (RCV) is the only way to win citywide. That\u2019s simply not true. Republicans like Rudy Giuliani and Michael Bloomberg both won New York City elections without RCV \u2014 Bloomberg did it three times.<\/p>\n
The truth is, RCV has helped candidates like Zohran Mamdani secure victories within the Democratic Party, not Republicans. And who remains one of RCV\u2019s biggest champions \u2014 the same system that helped elect Mamdani? Frank Morano.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, some Staten Island Republicans continue to back left-wing policies like \u201cUniversal Daylighting,\u201d which would remove nearly 50,000 parking spaces across the borough. And who\u2019s the only Staten Island elected official sponsoring that legislation? Frank Morano.<\/p>\n
These misguided policies threaten to reshape the character of our neighborhoods. Combined with the sweeping \u201cCity of Yes\u201d agenda, Staten Island\u2019s unique identity is being chipped away \u2014 policy by policy.<\/p>\n
If the GOP truly wants to represent this borough, it needs to stop congratulating itself and start rebuilding. The focus should be on supporting credible candidates, standing united, and addressing real local concerns.<\/p>\n
Celebrating underperformance isn\u2019t strategy \u2014 it\u2019s denial.<\/p>\n
Staten Island has always been proud of its independence, common sense, and community spirit. It\u2019s time for the Republican Party here to reflect those same values \u2014 not lose sight of them.<\/p>\n
(Christopher Campbell is a Staten Island resident.)<\/p>\n
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