‘It’s time;’ Fossella to fund Staten Island secession study with backing of fellow elected officials

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Local elected officials want to know what it would look like if Staten Island took a borough-sized bite out of the Big Apple.

Borough President Vito Fossella is leading the latest secession charge, saying his office will fund a new study to put together information on what an independent city of Staten Island would look like, and he’s gotten his local government counterparts onboard.

Each of the Island’s elected officials, Democrat and Republican, has said they support the study looking into an independent Staten Island, but have had varying degrees of enthusiasm about the prospect of actually seceding.

State Sen. Jessica Scarcella-Spanton (D-North Shore/South Brooklyn) said she supports the study, but is hesitant about secession. 

“While I have reservations regarding secession, I support a study looking at the impact to Staten Islanders’ jobs, property taxes, and services,” Scarcella-Spanton said. “I deeply understand that this movement derives from a frustration among fellow Staten Islanders — we are incredibly valuable to New York City as a whole and deserve more than we get.”

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