The Succession of Staten Island From NYC

Here is another idea that is not going to happen. Like a lot of ideas on succession it is based on the idea that breaking away from NYC would allow Staten Island to raise a lot of new money from NYS and the federal government. What they don’t tell you is that all kinds of taxes would go up because the revenue to run your own city can’t just run on federal and state aid. This is a big show stoppers.

A lot of Staten Islanders would not want to pay higher taxes for the same services they get now for a subsidized rate from the city. We pay in less then what we get more for in services. This has been because as long as there is a Staten Island friendly mayor, he will do whatever it takes to make things go good on Staten Island for his own political future. The saying goes if you lose Staten Island you lose the mayor’s job.

Now I believe succession at one point was good idea. We had a smelly dump that the city refused to close, traffic was horrible, and people felt the city took the Island for granted, so at this time, in 1993, people voted for succession which then went to the assembly. It never made it to the floor for a vote and succession died an untimely death.

Now shoot forward to the present where we have a new New York State Senator who is pushing once again for succession and people are shaking their heads going, “What is he talking about?”

Traffic has been taken on full force by a task force instigated by the mayor to find fast traffic solutions. Traffic is still bad but more manageable. The dump has been closed for years and does not smell anymore and will one day take on the role of the biggest park in NYC. The Mayor comes out here and makes a visit now and again and people don’t feel succession is necessary anymore.
Even if all the cards pointed in the right direction NYC would not let Staten Island succeed because then what is to stop Queens or the Bronx from going their own ways also?

So it’s a great talking piece, but dead on arrival.