Griffin Fossella, son of Staten Island borough president Vito Fossella, introduced Saturday his plans to run for the New York Metropolis Council.
At his marketing campaign kick-off occasion at La Fontana in Oakwood, the 27-year-old finance employee from Nice Kills mentioned he’s pursuing politics due to his deep-seated affection for his hometown, the Staten Island Advance reported.
“Many of you are probably wondering why on Earth I’m doing this,” Fossella mentioned. “I can tell you in one sentence: I love Staten Island.”
“Given the opportunity to serve as your councilman, I promise to fight day and night for you, and I know that it is a privilege and massive responsibility to be an elective representative.”
The younger skilled is operating for the 51st Council District seat representing the South Shore. The seat was vacated by Republican Joseph Borelli, who resigned on the finish of final month to take a job within the personal sector — spurring a particular election deliberate for April 29.
The 2015 Monsignor Farrell Excessive Faculty grad listed crime, medication and violence in different boroughs as his most important concern. And he apprehensive that children rising up on Staten Island don’t have the identical sense of security he had rising up, the outlet reported.
“It’s no secret that a lot of bad stuff is happening not too far from us, and if we don’t hold government accountable, before we know it, the problems of the other boroughs will become our own,” he mentioned.
In a Sunday assertion to The Publish, Fossella reiterated his love for his island and mentioned that if elected, he’d convey vitality and imaginative and prescient to the Metropolis Council.
“I’m committed to fighting for a more affordable city with better schools, safer neighborhoods, strong support for our police officers, improved transportation, and a higher quality of life for all residents,” he mentioned.
His dad, Vito, advised the Advance that his son’s announcement stuffed him with satisfaction — and added that Griffin’s coronary heart is “in the right place.”
“I think at the core of it is — he said it in one sentence — we love Staten Island,” the borough prez mentioned. “We want to do what’s best for the people of Staten Island, fight on their behalf, fight against people who want to hurt Staten Island.”
Vito received a particular Metropolis Council election in 1994 to symbolize the South Shore and was elected to the US Congress three years later.
The Republican repped Staten Island and South Brooklyn for 11 years till 2009 when he left the decrease chamber after a drunk driving arrest and a revelation that he had a secret, second household in Virginia.
However he was elected to the largely ceremonial place of Staten Island borough president in 2022, persevering with many years of GOP dominance over that place.
With Publish wires
