Everything you need to know about the Council District 51 special election

Yes, there is yet another special election in the New York City Council! This time, it’s on the south shore of Staten Island in City Council District 51, which starts next week and is expected to be hotly contested. Three candidates are facing off: Two of them, conservatives Frank Morano and Griffin Fossella, will be duking it out to represent one of the city’s reddest districts, with the addition of moderate Democrat, Clifford Hagen. The seat has been empty since late January, when former City Council Minority Leader Joe Borelli decided to resign from the post he would have been term-limited out of at the end of the year to take a lobbying position. The district encompasses Tottenville, Eltingville, Great Kills, Annadale, Rossville and Prince’s Bay.

The district has been consistently represented by a Republican and people aren’t expecting that to change this time around. Morano has broad support among prominent Republicans and conservatives but Fossella has the benefit of name recognition thanks to his father, Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella, and has strong fundraising numbers.

Here’s what you need to know about the special election for District 51. 

When is the special election happening?

Early voting begins on April 21, and ends on April 27. The election is on Tuesday, April 29, and polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. that day. If you live in the district, find your polling place here. 

Why is the special election happening?

Borelli, the district’s former council member, resigned at the end of January to take a job as managing director at the lobbying firm Chartwell Strategy Group.  

Who are the candidates?

Three people are running for the empty seat: Frank Morano, Griffin Fossella and Clifford Hagen. They are running on the SI Patriotism, We The People and Common Ground nonpartisan lines, respectively. That’s because special elections are nonpartisan. Morano and Fossella are Republicans while Hagen is the lone registered Democrat running. 

If the name Fossella sounds familiar, that’s because Griffin Fossella’s father is former congress member and current Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella, and his great-great grandfather, James O’Leary, was a member of Congress in the 1930s and 40s. This is Griffin Fossella’s first foray into politics as he hopes to follow in his family’s political footsteps. Ideologically, Fossella has been quite vocal regarding his allegiance to President Donald Trump’s vision for the country and frames himself as the “ONLY candidate who stands with President Trump,” on his campaign site (though Morano has garnered support from some of the president’s allies and former associates, such as Steve Bannon and Roger Stone.) 

Morano is a conservative radio talk show host whose show, “The Other Side of Midnight,” is on 77WABC. He has also worked at Newsmax. He previously served as a part-time staffer for Borelli from 2018 to 2020, whose empty seat he is now trying to win.

Hagen, a moderate Democrat with conservative leanings, has been a special education teacher for nearly three decades, currently teaching at IS 72 in Staten Island. Up until last year, he was the president of the Protectors of Pine Oak Woods, an organization committed to preserving existing parkland and natural areas in Staten Island. 

Where do the candidates stand on the issues? 

Out of everyone in the race, Morano has the most detailed policy planks. The main themes of his campaign come down to affordability, public safety and being an advocate for the island. Getting people that grew up on Staten Island to stay there as opposed to moving to New Jersey or Florida is a focus for him, too, Morano told City & State. Among his many policy ideas are to replace the city’s public campaign finance program with “democracy vouchers” modelled after Seattle’s system, in which voters receive public funds to be donated to the political candidates of their choice. He also wants to establish a “local (Department of Government Efficiency) Advisory Committee” and to create a ferry route for Staten Island’s South Shore.

Fossella did not respond to City & State’s numerous inquiries for this story, but his campaign website is somewhat sparse on policy details and focuses on five main points: public safety, the “homeless crisis,” fiscal responsibility, fentanyl and transportation. Chief among his priorities is an unwavering support for law enforcement, implementing comprehensive antidrug strategies and addressing the lasting effects of the migrant crisis. 

Hagen is focused on community safety and increasing recruitment within the New York City Police Department through raising pensions and improving benefits for police officers as well as for firefighters and sanitation workers. He also opposes the development of lithium-ion battery storage warehouses on the island, something Morano mentioned he is against as well. Hagen labels himself as not antidevelopment but “pro-appropriate development,” as he does not support the entire City of Yes housing plan but is in favor of portions of the zoning overhaul.

There is overlap among the candidates’ views, as all three are congestion pricing haters. They also do not support the hotel slated to be built in Richmond Valley, citing concerns the development will turn into a homeless or migrant shelter in the future. Morano and Fossella are vehemently opposed to building homeless shelters in general and both call for the end of sanctuary city policies. Morano is directly looking to repeal specific legislation that prohibits the city from cooperating with federal immigration and law enforcement. Asked for his thoughts on that,  Hagen told City & State via text, “The mayor’s efforts to work with federal law enforcement, in contradiction to city law, has further complicated an ongoing humanitarian and financial crisis. Yes, there must be right and just punishment for those found guilty of crime, but any erosion of due process would be detrimental to us all.” 

Why should we care about this race?

Borelli was the City Council minority leader before his exodus from public office into the lobbying world. This move kickstarted a battle in the tiny City Council Republican caucus. Initially, City Council Member David Carr emerged victorious, but after a successful challenge from City Council Member Joann Ariola, who questioned the validity of the vote, a new one was held. With Borelli gone, the power balance shifted and Ariola became the new minority leader. 

Come next session, she will need the votes again to remain minority leader and fend off Carr or any other challengers that may arise. The incoming replacement, widely expected to be a Republican, for the empty District 51 seat could either play spoiler to Ariola’s newly minted post or shore up her grip on the minority leader role. Before the first minority leader vote was held, Ariola had the support of Council Members Vickie Paladino and Kristy Marmorato, while Carr had the backing  of City Council Member Inna Vernikov and – before he formally left the Council – Borelli. Had there been a tie, Carr would have won through seniority, though that did not pan out, as Ariola and her supporters did not attend that vote. However, the same logic could apply next year, assuming all of the current Republican members are reelected in the fall: The addition of one more member on Carr’s side could lead to a tie. Though there is, of course, the possibility that the Republicans pick up seats in November, any additions to the caucus will be crucial in the 2026 minority leader contest, and could even add to the potential chaos of another internal struggle within the party. 

Since the winner of the special will likely be in a strong position to win in the primary and the general, anyone looking to be minority leader would probably want to be in their good graces. Interestingly enough, Ariola hasn’t endorsed a candidate in the race, while Carr has backed Morano. Asked about a potential endorsement in the contest, Ariola told City & State via text, “I’m confident a Republican will win the special.” 

Who has endorsed whom?

Speaking of endorsements, so far, Morano has received the most endorsements from all corners of the Republican establishment – suggesting a possible rift between the Fossellas and other Staten Island Republicans. Most notably, Borelli and Staten Island’s own Rep. Nicole Malliotakis have backed Morano as have Carr, Vernikov, Paladino and Democratic City Council Member Bob Holden. 

Various unions and organizations such as the Seafarers International Union and Citizens Union have also thrown their support to Morano alongside the Staten Island Republican and Conservative Party. 

Fossella has received endorsements from former Assembly Member Lou Tobacco and former Republican Rep. Peter King as well as John Catsimatidis, billionaire CEO of Red Apple Group and New York City GOP bigwig, who is a longtime friend of the Fossella family. Catsimitidis owns 77WABC, which broadcasts Morano’s show.

Hagen has received endorsements from the United Federation of Teachers and IUEC Local One.

How is the fundraising going?

According to the New York City Campaign Finance Board, as of March 28, Fossella has fundraised the most with $55,031 in total campaign contributions from 290 donations and an average contribution size of $195 while Morano raised $51,015 from 614 donations with an average contribution size of $120; he also took out a $30,000 loan. Hagen raised the least, coming in at $13,770 from 186 donations with an average donation of $83. 

Approximately half of Morano’s donors live in Staten Island and over 20% of donors live outside of the city. Meanwhile, the overwhelming majority of the other two candidates’ donors live in Staten Island; while about 5.4% of Hagen’s contributions are coming from outside New York City, roughly 7.5% of Fossella’s are. 

Small-dollar contributions of $175 or less made up over 90% of Hagen’s haul. About 80% of Morano’s and over 70% of Fossella’s were small-dollar donations. Morano has spent big on the campaign in comparison to his opponents, blowing through $84,464. Hagen has spent $18,466. Fossella has by far the most money to work with, having received $192,439 in public funds. Yet he has not spent that much of his warchest – $2,152, records show – and his estimated campaign account balance sits at $245,318. 

Both Morano and Hagen were deemed ineligible for matching funds. For Morano, that was due to “variance between reported and documented receipts greater than 10%,” per the Campaign Finance Board. For Hagen, not only was he, too, docked for discrepancies with his receipts, but he also had a “variance between reported and documented expenditures greater than 40%.” Both Morano and Hagen are in the red.

How long will the winner of the special election serve?

Whoever wins will be on the council until the end of the year. If the winner wants to serve in the next four-year term, they will have to also run and win an upcoming June primary, and then the November general election.

The same candidates running in this election will be running in their respective primaries. Morano and Fossella will be running in the Republican primary as well as John Buthorn. Hagen will be running in the Democratic primary, and is currently unopposed.