Borelli to back Carr in early minority leader vote

New York City Council Minority Leader Joe Borelli is backing fellow Staten Island Council Member David Carr to replace him ahead of a Tuesday vote as he prepares to depart early from the chamber Friday. Both Carr and Council Member Joann Ariola had been gunning for leader of the GOP caucus, as Borelli would have been term limited at the end of this year. 

“The day she got elected, before she even got sworn in, she tried to take me out as minority leader,” Borelli said via text Saturday night, referring to Ariola. “That sealed the deal for me four years ago.” 

Borelli added later that Carr “is a bridge builder and not a bridge burner.” 

Borelli is set to resign as minority leader before resigning from the council Friday to take a role with Chartwell Strategy Group, as the New York Post reported Saturday morning. Because of that sequence of events, Borelli will have a vote in the election for a new head of the caucus. 

“I won’t let Staten Island not have a vote in this race especially since me and the person who almost certainly will win to replace me is supporting Carr,” Borelli said in a nod to Frank Morano, who announced his intentions to run in the upcoming special election for Borelli’s seat. “We are in lockstep. The bylaws are clear.”

While it is not immediately clear who in the six-member caucus will back who, Borelli expects it to end in a tie. Gothamist reported Sunday morning that Council Minority Whip Inna Vernikov will support Carr as well. Since caucus bylaws say the most senior member – Borelli – serves as the tie-breaking vote, his support all but ensures Carr will take over the reins starting next month. 

Though both Ariola and Carr have expressed interest in the role publicly, unlike Carr, Ariola has been outspoken about her aspirations. Speaking Friday, before the Post’s report, Ariola expressed a lot of optimism. “I'm not afraid to stand up for the members. I'm not afraid to ask for the needs of the members. And I have done that, and it's not David Carr that they're calling when they have an issue. It’s Joann Ariola.”

Carr did not immediately respond to City & State’s inquiry on the matter.