The 2023 Staten Island Power 100
Originally published in
City & State NY: The 2023 Staten Island Power 100
on
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In the opening credits of “Working Girl,” Carly Simon sings, “Let all the dreamers wake the nation” as Melanie Griffith’s character, Staten Islander Tess McGill, rides the Staten Island Ferry to work in lower Manhattan. McGill may have spent the film faking it until she makes it. But in real life, Staten Islanders don’t need to fake it – they’re making it just fine on their own, as the dreamers that are waking the nation.
New York City’s other, bigger boroughs may hog the limelight, but Staten Islanders have plenty of pluck and perseverance as they make sure they’re not overlooked or forgotten. The city’s smallest borough is a destination in its own right, with major economic investments and thriving cultural centers. And Staten Island’s leaders – never a quiet bunch – have no problem saying “enough is enough” when they don’t like how they’re treated.
Meet the Staten Islanders who are putting their borough on the map:
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10. Jessica Scarcella-Spanton
State Senator
State Sen. Jessica Scarcella-Spanton succeeded her former boss, Diane Savino, in the state Senate earlier this year. Scarcella-Spanton was outspoken in her opposition to LGBTQ+ groups being barred from the borough’s St. Patrick’s Day parade. Scarcella-Spanton was also supportive of the new contract for Staten Island Ferry workers and opposed a proposal to house migrants at Fort Wadsworth. She chairs the state Senate Veterans, Homeland Security and Military Affairs Committee.
