Copyright Staten Island Advance
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Against the backdrop of a highly discussed mayoral race, local races saw all four incumbents prevail in their bids for reelection. On the North Shore, Democratic Councilmember Kamillah Hanks has won reelection, alongside Republican Mid-Island Councilmember David Carr and Republican South Shore Councilmember Frank Morano. Borough President Vito Fossella, a Republican who has served in that office since 2022, was also successful in his reelection bid. Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee who currently represents parts of Queens in the State Assembly, has declared victory over Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa and Independent candidate Andrew Cuomo. Here’s a look at how all the races and ballot proposals played out. Mayor Democrat Zohran Mamdani has declared victory in the highly contentious race to become the 111th mayor of New York City. As of 11 p.m., Mamdani has received 50.3% of the vote, compared to 41.6% for Cuomo and 7.2% for Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa. Mamdani declared victory shortly after 11:15 p.m. in front of a huge crowd of supporters at the Brooklyn Paramount. “For as long as we can remember, the working people of New York have been told by the wealthy and the well connected that power does not belong in their hands. Fingers bruised from lifting boxes on the warehouse floor, palms calloused from delivery bike handlebars, knuckles scarred with kitchen burns. These are not hands that have been allowed to hold power, and yet, over the last 12 months, you have dared to reach for something greater. Tonight, against all odds, we have grasped it. The future is in our hands,” said Mamdani. “Thank you to the next generation of New Yorkers who refuse to accept that the promise of a better future was a relic of the past. You showed that when politics speaks to you without condescension, we can usher in a new era of leadership. We will fight for you because we are you,” he continued. The self-described Democratic Socialist has led an energetic, grassroots campaign focused on affordability that has resonated with voters, particularly those younger and more progressive. Former Gov. Cuomo, who ran as an Independent candidate after losing to Mamdani in the Democratic primary, conceded the loss around 10:40 p.m. “This campaign was the right fight to wage and I am proud of what we did and what we did together. This campaign was to contest the philosophies that are shaping the Democratic party, the future of this city and the future of this country,” Cuomo said. Sliwa, who also ran an unsuccessful mayoral campaign in 2021 against Mayor Eric Adams, has also conceded the race. “To our new leaders: If you try to implement socialism, if you try to render our police weak and impotent, if you forsake the people’s public safety, we’re not only organizing but we are mobilizing. We will become the mayor-elect and his supporters’ worst enemy,” Sliwa said. 49th Council District Hanks has declared victory over Republican challenger John Shea and third-party challenger Sarah Blas in the race to represent the North Shore in the City Council. As of 11 p.m. on Tuesday night, Hanks has accumulated 55% of the vote, compared to 34.4% for Shea and 10.3% for Blas, according to the NYCBOE. “What you do as a representative is a little sacred,” said Hanks at her campaign office in West Brighton on Tuesday night. “The fact that the opinion of the people of the 49th district was to send me back to City Hall, for four more years, I say ‘F--- Yeah! It ain’t pretty, it ain’t sexy, it ain’t fun, however, it is meaningful. You change lives. You go to City Hall and you fight for the people of 49th District. You say, ‘no,’ this doesn’t work for us. ‘No, this isn’t good for us.’ And to everybody standing in this room looking at me, I can’t even tell you the thanks and the praise,” she added. The victory on Election Day comes after two recent deaths -- her mother, Patricia Ann Robertson, died a day before the primary election in June and her campaign manager, Paul Walter Casali died last month. Hanks said this made her win Tuesday night bittersweet. “So the people who are with you, they are, you know, your family. And so the last time I saw Paul, he was standing right outside of here, it was Sept. 28,” said Hanks, as she choked back tears. “We went over to Duffy’s... Paul was like, ‘You know, you’re gonna win, you gotta do this.’ ... The fact that I don’t have that person, is really profoundly sad to me; he was my family,” she added. “It was a tremendous loss to people who knew him and loved him. And I don’t think he really understood how incredible and brilliant he was.” Of her mom’s passing, Hanks said, “Cheers to my mom, who believed in me before I believed in myself. And there is peace in that.” In his concession speech, Shea said: “I love Staten Island...we knew we had an uphill battle. And let’s take this as a learning point. We had no shot on the North Shore, none. We made them scared. We did. We scared them, and we can move forward with this, and we’re going to.” Hanks, who was first elected to represent the North Shore in November 2021, has decades of experience as a community leader, non-profit organization executive director, and work in economic development. An over $400 million public investment in the district’s waterfront, known as the North Shore Action Plan, has been the centerpiece of Hanks’ time in office. “In 2021, I ran for creating this master plan, so I think my greatest accomplishment is actually keeping the promises that I made in 2021,” Hanks said. “I am absolutely proud of the fact that we brought $426 million of generational investment.” 50th Council District Incumbent Republican David Carr has declared victory over Democratic challenger Radhakrishna Mohan in the race to represent Mid-Island in the City Council. As of 11 p.m. on Tuesday night, Carr had accumulated 72.9% of the vote, compared to 26.9% for Mohan, according to the NYCBOE. “After tonight’s celebrations, we have to go back to work, and boy, is our work cut out for us. I think we’ve seen the results coming in citywide, and we’re going to have a new mayor on January 1st. And that mayor should read the message loud and clear tonight that Staten Island has given him no mandate. Staten island said no to him and his radical agenda,” Carr said at the Vanderbilt at South Beach, where the Staten Island Republicans held their election night party Tuesday. “If he wants to govern here on Staten Island, he has to govern in collaboration with us, because if he doesn’t we’re going to fight him every step of the way. Staten Island has a voice of its own. It is a voice that we cherish. It’s a voice that is the fundamental thing that we possess in this political system, and we’re not going to surrender it,” Carr continued. Carr, who was first elected to represent Mid-Island in November 2021, sat down with the Advance/SILive.com’s Editorial Board last month to discuss his greatest accomplishments and challenges since entering office. The councilmember said he was most proud of his efforts to bring a Gifted and Talented school to Staten Island, which is expected to open on the former St. John Villa campus by 2030. His greatest challenge has been one that many borough politicians have faced, trying to fight citywide policies, projects and initiatives that fail to account for the unique nature of Staten Island. “You constantly seem like you’re having to row upstream because the city comes with a perspective, the agencies, based in Manhattan mostly, come with the perspective that’s very much not consistent with the views of Staten Islanders,” Carr said at the time. 51st Council District Morano has declared victory over Democratic challenger Cliff Hagen and third-party challenger John Buthorn in the race to represent the South Shore in the City Council. As of 11 p.m. on Tuesday night, Morano had accumulated 77.5% of the vote, compared to 20.6% for Hagen and 1.75% for Buthorn, according to the NYCBOE. Morano celebrated his win surrounded by about people, including friends, family, constituents, and other elected representatives. “To my staff, tomorrow, we have a meeting at 1 o’clock in the afternoon, and we are going to discuss our game plan for winning reelection in four years,” Morano said at the Vanderbilt at South Beach, where the Staten Island Republicans held their election night party. “I’m convinced we have a vision that the people of the South Shore have responded to, and we’re going to formulate that vision tomorrow and work for the next four years in implementing it,” he added. Hagen conceded the race. “We certainly outpaced expectations tonight on the South Shore. Nobody expected we would win, but we improved,” he said, claiming they doubled democratic votes on South Shore from four years ago. “We’re doing really well after the setbacks of the past decade. Things are changing.” Buthorn also offered his concession: “I want to congratulate Frank Morano on a strong campaign and well-earned victory. His wins are the community’s wins, and I wish him success as he works to serve the South Shore.” Morano first won the seat in an April special election after former Councilmember Joe Borelli resigned. Morano, a lifelong Staten Islander and longtime political activist, told the Advance/SILive.com Editorial Board in September that an early effort of his first few months in office has been trying to instill a greater sense of civic pride among his fellow borough residents. “There’s this sense of alienation that all of us who live on the South Shore and probably in all of Staten Island feel from time to time with the rest of New York City, and with good reason,” Morano, an Eltingville resident, said. “What I try to do every day, even if it feels like we can do nothing else, is to instill that spirit of what I like to call ‘Staten Island Patriotism.’” To that end, the councilmember said he’s held a series of community events to try to bring people together, and his first piece of introduced legislation would officially recognize the flag of Staten Island in the city administrative code. Borough President Fossella has declared victory over Democratic challenger Michael Colombo in the race for the borough presidency. As of 11 p.m. on Tuesday night, Fossella has accumulated 68.3% of the vote, compared to 31.6% for Colombo, according to the NYCBOE. Fossella, who earlier in his career served in the City Council and U.S. House of Representatives, celebrated his victory at alongside family and friends at La Fontana in Oakwood. “First and foremost, I am grateful and have eternal gratitude to the people who started my army — the community that we all love, that we will continue to cherish, and as it has been said, repeatedly, we will say it again and again, we will always put Staten Island first,” said Fossella. “We love to deliver for them [Staten Islanders], to improve the quality of life for all the folks here...giving young families the opportunity to succeed, to let them know that they live in the greatest country in the world, and here on Staten Island, we live in the greatest borough in the city,” said Fossella. Colombo, flanked by Democratic Assemblymember Charles Fall, was offered support from family and friends at Osteria Santina in Port Richmond, where the Democrats held their election night party. “43,000 votes; I’d say we beat the odds. So always go out there, and don’t stop,” said Colombo. “Don’t ever stop.” He thanked fellow Democratic candidates for helping him as a first time candidate “with no name recognition here on Staten Island. Public Advocate Democratic incumbent Jumaane Williams, who previously served in the City Council before being elected Public Advocate in 2019, has won reelection. As of 11 p.m., Williams has received 72.7% of the vote, compared to 24.9% for Republican candidate Gonzalo Duran and 2.3% for Independent candidate Martin Dolan, according to the NYCBOE. “As public advocate, Williams will continue to be an activist-elected official who brings the voices of everyday New Yorkers to city government and makes New York a truly progressive beacon for all,” according to Williams’ campaign website. City Comptroller Democratic candidate Mark Levine, who currently serves as Manhattan borough president, has won election become city comptroller. As of 11 p.m., Levine has received 74.9% of the vote, compared to 22.8% for Republican candidate Peter Kefalas and 2.1% for Independent candidate Ismael Malave-Perez, according to the NYCBOE. For Levine, the issues on the city comptroller’s table should be “solving our housing crisis,” “defending us from [President Donald] Trump’s attacks,” “fixing our broken mental health system,” “improving public safety,” and more, his campaign website said. New York City Civil Court Richmond County 1st Municipal Court District Democratic candidate Matthew Santamauro won election to the New York City Civil Court Richmond County 1st Municipal Court District. As of 11 p.m., Santamauro has received 52.3% of the vote, compared to 47.6% for Republican candidate Remy Smith, according to the NYCBOE. Smith, a lifelong Staten Islander who resides in Westerleigh, currently serves in Staten Island Housing Court and previously worked in Brooklyn Housing Court. New York Supreme Court 13th Judicial District Republican candidate Matthew P. Blum, has won election to the New York Supreme Court 13th Judicial District. As of 11 p.m., Blum has received 62.8% of the vote, compared to 37.1% for Democratic candidate Raymond L. Rodriguez, according to the NYCBOE. Blum currently serves as a Civil Court judge in Richmond County, a position he has held since January 2020. Ballot Proposal 1 As of late-Tuesday evening, 44.7% of New Yorkers voted “Yes” and 42.6% of New Yorkers voted “No” on the first ballot proposal, according to the NYSBOE. This proposal would amend the state constitution to allow an Olympic sports complex on 1,039 acres of state forest preserve land in Essex County. The amendment would permit skiing and related trail facilities in the Adirondack Park while requiring the state to add 2,500 acres of new forest land to compensate. Ballot Proposal 2 As of late-Tuesday evening, 58.3% of New Yorkers voted “Yes” and 41.7% of New Yorkers voted “No” on the second ballot proposal, according to the NYCBOE. Proposal 2 seeks to fast track publicly financed affordable housing and applications in community districts that produce the least affordable housing, significantly reducing review time while maintaining community board review. Ballot Proposal 3 As of late-Tuesday evening, 56.7% of New Yorkers voted “Yes” and 43.3% of New Yorkers voted “No” on the third ballot proposal, according to the NYCBOE. Proposal 3 would simplify review of modest amounts of additional housing and minor infrastructure projects, also significantly reducing review time. The measure aims to maintain community board review with final decisions by the City Planning Commission. Ballot Proposal 4 As of late-Tuesday evening, 58.3% of New Yorkers voted “Yes” and 41.7% of New Yorkers voted “No” on the fourth ballot proposal, according to the NYCBOE. Proposal 4 would establish an Affordable Housing Appeals Board comprising the Council speaker, local borough president, and mayor to review Council actions that reject or change applications creating affordable housing. Ballot Proposal 5 As of late-Tuesday evening, 73.3% of New Yorkers voted “Yes” and 26.8% of New Yorkers voted “No” on the fifth ballot proposal, according to the NYCBOE. Proposal 5 addresses city operations by consolidating borough map offices and address assignment functions to create one digital City Map at the Department of City Planning. Currently, the City Map consists of paper maps across five offices. Ballot Proposal 6 As of late-Tuesday evening, 46.9% of New Yorkers voted “Yes” and 53.1% of New Yorkers voted “No” on the sixth ballot proposal, according to the NYCBOE. Proposal 6 would move the city’s primary and general election dates so that city elections are held in the same year as federal presidential elections, when permitted by state law.
