Category Archives: Joe Borelli

Photo Highlights of The Decade



As the decade rolls to an end we’ve compiled a brief photographic retrospective with a few of our favorite photos of the 2010s.

Political foes Mayor Bill de Blasio and Governor Andrew Cuomo shake hands, seemingly at the urging of RWDSU’s Stuart Appelbaum, as they march in the 2016 Labor Day Parade. 9/10/16

Our decade highlight gallery is available here.

Our focus is on New York politics, both city and state, but the gallery includes other shots of New York.  Among the campaigns we’ve covered are the 2013 and 2017 mayoral races, the 2014 and 2018 gubernatorial races, congressional primaries in 2014, 2016 and 2018, the 2016 New Hampshire Republican presidential primary and the 2019 public advocate special election.  NYTrue.com began in late 2012, with mostly video and little photography in 2012 and 2013, so this is a somewhat truncated decade retrospective that covers 2014-2019.

Special Bonus – Unabridged Gallery:

For those of you who really love New York politics we have an expanded decade retrospective gallery with lots of great shots that didn’t make it into the decade highlight gallery.  Take a look, and a walk down memory lane, here.

We’ve included a few 2013 iPhone shots in a brief addendum at the end of the expanded gallery.

Our 2019 year in photos is available here.

All of our photo galleries are available here.

Photo Gallery: Borelli Calls For de Blasio Resignation



Council Member Joe Borelli held a City Hall press conference Tuesday calling for Mayor Bill de Blasio to resign.  Borelli, a Staten Island Republican, was joined by Nick Langworthy, the incoming chairman of the NYS Republican Party.  They framed their resignation demand as primarily driven by de Blasio’s presidential campaign distracting him from fully discharging his mayoral duties, but also referenced a variety of what they view as policy failures during de Blasio’s term.

Continue reading Photo Gallery: Borelli Calls For de Blasio Resignation

Photo Gallery: Ulrich Election Night



It was upbeat disappointment at the election night party of public advocate candidate Eric Ulrich as one of the very few Republican elected officials in New York City placed second in a field of 17 candidates.  With such a large field, including seven present or former members of the NYC Council and NYS Assembly, Ulrich had a rare realistic opportunity for a Republican victory in a citywide election.

Attendees were clearly disappointed at Ulrich’s loss but there was also widespread satisfaction at his besting 15 candidates, including many elected Democrats.

Council Members Steven Matteo, Joe Borelli and Bob Holden were the only elected officials joining Ulrich.  Party leaders attending included New York State Republican Chairman Ed Cox and the five Republican county chairs from New York City, Brendan Lantry of Staten Island, Joann Ariola of Queens, Ted Ghorra of Brooklyn, Mike Rendino of the Bronx and Andrea Catsimatidis.  NYS Conservative Party Chairman Jerry Kassar also attended.

Photo Gallery:

Our full photo gallery is available here.

Photo Gallery: Ulrich On Staten Island



Eric Ulrich’s campaign for public advocate has Staten Island as as essential, and central, part of his potential path to victory.  A recent visit included a live-streamed appearance with a homeowner in Prince’s Bay and campaigning at a Shop-rite in Charleston.  He was joined by Council Member Joe Borelli and Assembly Member Mike Reilly in Prince’s Bay and by Reilly in Charleston.

Photo Gallery:

Our full photo gallery is available here.

Molinaro At City Hall



Republican gubernatorial candidate Marc Molinaro came to New York City’s City Hall Monday, joined by running mate Julie Killian and Council Member Joe Borelli for a press conference focused on opposing Governor Andrew Cuomo’s effort at eliminating the tip credit.  (The tip credit allows paying tipped service workers, such as waiters/waitresses and bartenders, less than minimum wage due to their receiving significant tip income.  Eliminating it would raise wages but, in the view of many in the hospitality industry, lead to many establishments eliminating tipping completely and consequently reducing tipped workers income.)  Other topics included Molinaro’s ability to reach City voters, whether he has a preference in the Democratic gubernatorial primary and his reaction to the Trump/Putin Helsinki press conference.

Continue reading Molinaro At City Hall

Donovan Primary Night



Republican Congressman Dan Donovan defeated predecessor and challenger Michael Grimm in a bitter GOP primary, trumping Grimm’s professed allegiance to Donald Trump and Trump-like personality with an endorsement from Trump.  Donovan was first elected in a special election in 2015 prompted by Grimm’s resignation after pleading guilty to federal tax fraud charges and being sentenced to federal prison.  Grimm returned seeking his old seat this year, in a Trump era battle in which the candidates sought to most closely align themselves with the president.

Continue reading Donovan Primary Night

2017 Year In Photos



Baseball fan Timothy Cardinal Dolan sports a borrowed Yankees hat while the hat’s owner sports Cardinal Dolan’s zucchetto.

Mayoral candidates fighting and occasionally smiling, a governor working his fellow electeds and the cameras, a hometown president passing through.  Those are among the images in our 2017 photo retrospective.

Shot entirely in the five boroughs, our photo retrospective reflects our 2017 focus on the mayoral election and particularly on challengers looking to defeat Mayor de Blasio.  There’s more, however, with a mix of light moments, conflict and loss.

Our photographic look back at 2017 is available here.

Republican mayoral candidate Nicole Malliotakis heads to her car following a Saturday morning appearance at a Queens GOP “Unity Breakfast” in Glendale.

Note:  Our more extensive photo retrospective on the 2017 mayoral race is available here.

Malliotakis Pledges Property Tax Review



Republican/Conservative mayoral candidate Nicole Malliotakis pledged to examine the City’s property tax system promptly after taking office.  Speaking at a City Hall press conference with fellow Staten Island Republican and Council Member Joe Borelli, Malliotakis pledged to appoint a commission within 60 days of taking office, with a goal of producing changes to the complex property tax system in the City that’s widely viewed as uneven and inequitable.

Continue reading Malliotakis Pledges Property Tax Review

Pace Staten Shorum



Political peace ruled the shore, both East and South, of Staten Island this morning as mayoral candidate and Assembly Member Nicole Malliotakis and Council Member Joe Borelli held a cordial City Hall press conference.  It’s been reported (such as this report by Anna Sanders in the Staten Island Advance) that the two Staten Island Republicans, who represent overlapping districts, have a poor relationship and Borelli had not previously joined his fellow Staten Island Republicans in endorsing Malliotakis for mayor.  Council Member Borelli previously served in the state assembly alongside Malliotakis.

“I endorse Nicole” interjected Borelli as I asked about his lack of an endorsement, repeating it once I stopped speaking.  Saying he’s “a confrontational person” Borelli described their relationship as being like siblings who fight while home but present a united front to the outside world.  He concluded by making clear his preference for Malliotakis over incumbent Bill de Blasio.

Malliomentum



Nicole Malliotakis sought to take back the momentum in the Republican mayoral primary last night as she received the endorsement of her hometown Staten Island Republican Party, hoping to replace Masseymentum with Malliomentum.  Rival candidate Paul Massey had received the endorsement of the Bronx Republican Party the night before, for his second county organization endorsement.  Staten Island’s endorsement of Malliotakis was not a surprise, she’s a well-liked four term elected official, but it was nonetheless a welcome boost for Malliotakis.

A crowd of about 75 people gathered for the Staten Island party’s nominating convention, enthusiastically cheering their nominees.  Incumbent Borough President Jimmy Oddo and incumbent City Council Members Steve Matteo and Joe Borelli were among the nominees, each unanimously selected without any opposing candidates.  Michel Faulkner, who was not present, was endorsed for comptroller, also without opposition.  As reported by the Staten Island Advance’s Rachel Shapiro, (prior to my arrival) the Party endorsed J.C. Polanco for public advocate.

Malliotakis’s acceptance speech was a mix of campaign themes and a hometown address to fellow Staten Islanders.  She turned to a recent campaign theme, describing New Yorkers driven to leave the city as “economic refugees” and “quality of life refugees.”  Malliotakis also touched on familiar criticisms of Mayor de Blasio, saying that he “ties the hands of law enforcement” and ignores the will of City residents in areas such as his plan to build 90 shelters for the homeless and his newly adopted goal of replacing Rikers Island with jails throughout the City.

Malliotakis voiced a central theme of Staten Island politics; that the borough is shortchanged and “we have to fight together twice as much to get half as much.”  She criticized the mayor’s “five borough ferry plan” for excluding Staten Island, and said that the only thing Staten Island does get a fair share of is unwanted traffic cameras.

Malliotakis closed with promise to “bring a message of common sense and sanity” to the City and City Hall.

Video:

Here’s Malliotakis’s full acceptance speech:

Lhota Down at the Dump



On Friday Joe Lhota and Assembly Member Joe Borelli held a press conference calling on the City to allow Staten Island drivers to use roads inside the now-closed Fresh Kills landfill.  Fresh Kills was closed in 2001 and is presently being developed as an eco-park.

Opening roads for local drivers, who endure heavy traffic congestion, is an appealing issue for Lhota.  It highlights his deep deficit in the race, however, as he’s fighting on what should be his turf both geographically and topically, rather than on Bill de Blasio’s turf.

Here’s our look at Lhota’s battle.

Here is complete video of the press conference held by Joe Lhota and Assembly Member Joe Borelli.