New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani recently expressed support for letting the Irish determine whether their island should integrate — but the Emerald Isle is hardly the only island whose residents have long sought the right to draw their own political boundaries.
During the city’s recent St. Patrick’s Day celebration, the mayor said that “as someone who believes deeply in the principles of self-determination, I think that should be extended to the Irish as well.”
That afternoon, Assemblyman Sam Pirozzolo, who represents the neighborhood in northern Staten Island, imitated Mamdani, changing just one word in his phrase: “As someone who believes deeply in the principles of self-determination, I think this should be extended to Staten Island as well.”
Political leaders of the Forgotten Borough have spent generations fighting for the right to set their own boundaries, notably seceding from New York City and establishing what would become the state’s second-largest city. But they have been routinely blocked by City Hall and Albany. In 1993, 65 percent of residents supported an independence referendum, but the state assembly refused to pass a bill to make it binding, citing lack of support from the city council.
“If you believe in democracy, you believe in freedom, there’s no reason why the people of Staten Island shouldn’t have the right to govern themselves,” said State Senator Andrew Lanza.
The movement on Staten Island – smaller in scale than the transatlantic movement – has taken on new life since Mamdani was elected mayor with 23 percent of the vote. Pirozolo, in particular, read one “Staten Island Declaration of IndependenceAt a Revolutionary War site shortly after the election.
“Look at the things that have been imposed on us on Staten Island, marijuana shops, battery shops, speed cameras, red light cameras, the City of Yas, homeless shelters, displacing veterans to house illegal immigrants — it all ends up under the control of the city of Staten Island,” Pirozzolo said.
But Mamdani, like mayors before him, is hardly accepting of the plan to let voters decide whether they should divide the city.
“I like the fact that Staten Island is a part of this city, and it’s not just a part of the city,” he said at an unrelated press briefing on Friday. “It is, in many ways, a reflection of what attracts so many people to this city, as a city where we are now the most expensive in the United States. Staten Island has for some time been one of the last places where New Yorkers could dream of owning a home. It’s a shining example of what free public transportation can look like. It’s the home of one of the greatest rap groups in American history. It’s also a place where you The best Sri Lankan food you can get in New York City.”
However, when Mamdani was asked whether his philosophical views on borders extended to the island located much closer to home, he was less clear.
“There will be disagreements when it comes to politics and policies,” he said. “However, one thing I will never lose sight of is that what makes this such a beautiful city is every single person who calls it home. And I am very proud to be mayor of a city of which Staten Island is a part.”
His critics are not surprised that he is offering less than full support.
Lanza said, “He is very selective about whose independence he supports – I would ask him if he supports Israel’s independence.” “Listening to him over the years, it didn’t seem like he did it.”
City Hall did not immediately comment on Lanza’s allegations, but Mamdani, a vocal critic of Israel, has repeatedly said he supports its right to exist, but not as an explicitly Jewish state.
With Mamdani in City Hall, will the new referendum do better or worse than the 65 percent achieved in the 1993 edition?
“With him being there, I think it will be 80 percent,” Lanza said.
Joe Anuta contributed to this report.
