Government of Staten Island
Encyclopedia
Staten Island
Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...
, or Richmond County, like the other borough
Borough (New York City)
New York City, one of the largest cities in the world, is composed of five boroughs. Each borough now has the same boundaries as the county it is in. County governments were dissolved when the city consolidated in 1898, along with all city, town, and village governments within each county...
s which are contained within New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, includes no county government. Counties within New York City lack the county courts of other counties in New York State. Richmond County
Staten Island
Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...
is part of a state Supreme Court (general jurisdiction) district shared with Brooklyn, but has its own Surrogate's Court and judges of the Criminal Court, Family Court and the New York City Civil Court, the last having a similar jurisdiction to New York State County Courts for disputes under $25,000, small claims and housing cases. Criminal and Family Court judges are appointed; the others are elected. Also popularly elected are the District Attorney
District attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
(public prosecutor) for Richmond County, currently Daniel Donovan (Republican), and the Borough President
Borough president
Borough President is an elective office in each of the five boroughs of New York City.-Reasons for establishment:...
, James Molinaro
James Molinaro
James Molinaro is the current Borough President of Staten Island. He was born in the Lower East Side of Manhattan of Italian immigrants. He was one of six children, four brothers and two sisters....
(Conservative
Conservative Party of New York
The Conservative Party of New York State is an American political party active in the state of New York. It is not part of any nationwide party, nor is it affiliated with the American Conservative Party, which it predates by over 40 years....
). The Borough has three appointed Community Boards
Staten Island Community Boards
Staten Island Community Boards comprise three local units in the borough of Staten Island, which, like those in the other boroughs, play a role in the government of New York City.* Staten Island Community Board 1* Staten Island Community Board 2...
with advisory and limited administrative powers.
Politics
Staten Island politics differ considerably from the rest of the city, being far friendlier to the RepublicansRepublican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
than other boroughs, although Democrats
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
have a substantial majority in registration. According to the New York State Board of Elections, as of April 1, 2005, there were 119,601 registered Democrats in Staten Island versus only 82,193 registered Republicans.
| Party | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | 1998 | 1997 | 1996 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic (%) | 44.70 | 44.76 | 45.19 | 45.39 | 45.63 | 45.47 | 45.51 | 45.60 | 46.38 | 46.15 |
| Republican (%) | 30.64 | 30.47 | 30.77 | 30.55 | 30.68 | 30.76 | 31.17 | 31.60 | 30.80 | 31.28 |
| No affiliation (%) | 19.00 | 19.10 | 18.46 | 18.54 | 18.67 | 18.84 | 18.67 | 18.25 | 18.43 | 18.48 |
| Other (%) | 5.66 | 5.67 | 5.58 | 5.52 | 5.02 | 4.93 | 4.65 | 4.55 | 4.39 | 4.09 |
Local politics
Staten Island representation in the state assemblyNew York State Assembly
The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature. The Assembly is composed of 150 members representing an equal number of districts, with each district having an average population of 128,652...
has 3 Democrats and one Republican. The 60th district http://www.assembly.state.ny.us/mem/?ad=60&sh=map is represented by Democrat Janele Hyer Spencer, and the 62nd http://www.assembly.state.ny.us/mem/?ad=62&sh=map, which encompasses most of the south shore of the island, by Louis Tobacco. But both the 61st http://www.assembly.state.ny.us/mem/?ad=61&sh=map and 63rd http://www.assembly.state.ny.us/mem/?ad=63&sh=map districts have elected Democrats, Matthew Titone and Michael J. Cusick. Staten Island is split between two State Senate Districts
New York State Senate
The New York State Senate is one of two houses in the New York State Legislature and has members each elected to two-year terms. There are no limits on the number of terms one may serve...
. Most of the island used to be represented by Republican John J. Marchi
John Marchi
John J. Marchi was a New York State Senator who represented Staten Island for a record 50 years. Marchi , a Republican, retired on December 31, 2006, from the seat that he had held since January 1, 1957....
http://www.nyssenate24.com/district_map.asp, the longest-serving legislator in state history; but is now represented by Republican Andrew Lanza; while the North Shore belongs to the Brooklyn-based district of Democrat Diane Savino
Diane Savino
Diane Savino is a Democratic elected official from New York City, USA.She currently represents the 23rd Senate District in the New York State Senate, in northern Staten Island and parts of southern Brooklyn, including Sunset Park and Coney Island. She was elected in 2004.On December 2, 2009, Savino...
http://www.nyssenate23.com/district_map.asp.
National politics
| Year | GOP Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S... & Conservative Conservative Party of New York The Conservative Party of New York State is an American political party active in the state of New York. It is not part of any nationwide party, nor is it affiliated with the American Conservative Party, which it predates by over 40 years.... |
Dem. Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous... & Liberal Liberal Party of New York The Liberal Party of New York is a minor American political party that has been active only in the state of New York. Its platform supports a standard set of social liberal policies: it supports right to abortion, increased spending on education, and universal health care.As of 2007, the Liberal... |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 51.7% 86,062 | 47.6% 79,311 |
| 2004 | 56.4% 90,325 | 42.7% 68,448 |
| 2000 | 45.0% 63,903 | 51.9% 73,828 |
| 1996 | 40.8% 52,207 | 50.5% 64,684 |
| 1992 | 47.9% 70,707 | 38.5% 56,901 |
| 1988 | 61.5% 77,427 | 38.0% 47,812 |
| 1984 | 65.1% 83,187 | 34.7% 44,345 |
| 1980 | 58.6% 64,885 | 33.7% 37,306 |
| 1976 | 54.1% 56,995 | 45.4% 47,867 |
| 1972 | 74.2% 84,686 | 25.6% 29,241 |
| 1968 | 55.3% 54,631 | 35.2% 34,770 |
| 1964 | 45.5% 42,330 | 54.4% 50,524 |
| 1960 | 56.5% 38,673 | 43.4% 50,356 |
In the national elections, Staten Island is not the Republican stronghold it is in local elections. However, it is not a Democratic stronghold like the rest of the city. It can be considered as a swing county with a slight Republican lean, though it seemed to become increasingly Democratic in the 1990s, like Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
and Westchester County
Westchester County, New York
Westchester County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. Westchester covers an area of and has a population of 949,113 according to the 2010 Census, residing in 45 municipalities...
.
The island has only voted for the Democratic presidential nominee three times since 1952 — in 1964, 1996 and 2000. In the 2004 presidential election
United States presidential election, 2004
The United States presidential election of 2004 was the United States' 55th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on Tuesday, November 2, 2004. Republican Party candidate and incumbent President George W. Bush defeated Democratic Party candidate John Kerry, the then-junior U.S. Senator...
, George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
received 57% of the island's votes to 42% for John Kerry
John Kerry
John Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W...
; by contrast, Kerry outpolled Bush in the city's other four boroughs cumulatively by a margin of 77% to 22%.
Staten Island is currently in the 13th Congressional District
New York's 13th congressional district
New York's 13th Congressional District is a congressional district for the United States House of Representatives located in New York City. It includes all of Staten Island and the neighborhoods of Bay Ridge, Bensonhurst, Dyker Heights, and Gravesend in Brooklyn.A swing district, it is represented...
, which also includes part of Brooklyn. It has been held by the GOP from 1981 until 2009 when Democrat Michael McMahon
Michael McMahon
Michael E. "Mike" McMahon is the former U.S. Representative for , serving from 2009 until 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party. He was previously a member of the New York City Council....
won the seat. It was previously held by Vito Fossella
Vito Fossella
Vito John Fossella, Jr. is a U.S. Republican politician from the state of New York who formerly represented the state's 13th Congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives for six terms, from 1997 to 2009 serving as the lone Republican from New York City. Fossella, a Staten Island...
, an outspoken conservative. Michael Grimm
Michael Grimm (politician)
Michael Gerard Grimm is the U.S. Representative for , which consists of Staten Island and parts of Brooklyn. He is a member of the Republican Party. He is a former FBI agent, businessman, and U.S. Marine, having served in the Gulf War....
, a Republican, won back the seat for the GOP in 2010. The seat has always been targeted by Democrats, but Fossella always won with little trouble until 2004, when he lost the Brooklyn portion of the district by seven points. However, he won Staten Island by 26 points, undoubtedly helped by Bush's win in the borough. Before Fossella, Staten Island was represented by Susan Molinari
Susan Molinari
Susan Molinari is a politician, journalist, and lobbyist from New York. She was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for three terms.-Early life and family:...
, a moderate Republican who made the keynote speech at the 1996 Republican National Convention
1996 Republican National Convention
The 1996 National Convention of the Republican Party of the United States convened at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California, from August 12 to August 15, 1996...
. Her father, Guy
Guy Molinari
Gaetano Victor "Guy" Molinari is a former United States Representative and borough president of Staten Island, New York.-Education and Military Service:...
, held the seat from 1981 to 1990, when he was elected borough president
Borough president
Borough President is an elective office in each of the five boroughs of New York City.-Reasons for establishment:...
.
The United States Postal Service
United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...
operates post offices in Staten Island. The Staten Island Main Post Office is located at 550 Manor Road.
See also
- Government of New York CityGovernment of New York CityThe government of New York City is organized under the City Charter and provides for a "strong" mayor-council system. The government of New York is more centralized than that of most other U.S...
- New York City mayoral elections (with borough-by-borough results since 1897)
- Government and politics of the BronxGovernment and politics of the BronxThe Borough of the Bronx in New York City and The County of Bronx in New York State govern the same people and the same land — between the Borough of Manhattan to the south and the County of Westchester to the north...
(for comparison)