Griffin Fossella, son of Staten Island borough president Vito Fossella, announced Saturday his plans to run for the New York City Council.
At his campaign kick-off event at La Fontana in Oakwood, the 27-year-old finance worker from Great Kills said he’s pursuing politics because of his deep-seated affection for his hometown, the Staten Island Advance reported.
“Many of you are probably wondering why on Earth I’m doing this,” Fossella said. “I can tell you in one sentence: I love Staten Island.”
“Given the opportunity to serve as your councilman, I promise to fight day and night for you, and I know that it is a privilege and massive responsibility to be an elective representative.”
The young professional is running for the 51st Council District seat representing the South Shore. The seat was vacated by Republican Joseph Borelli, who resigned at the end of last month to take a job in the private sector — spurring a special election planned for April 29.
The 2015 Monsignor Farrell High School grad listed crime, drugs and violence in other boroughs as his main concern. And he worried that kids growing up on Staten Island don’t have the same sense of safety he had growing up, the outlet reported.
“It’s no secret that a lot of bad stuff is happening not too far from us, and if we don’t hold government accountable, before we know it, the problems of the other boroughs will become our own,” he said.
In a Sunday statement to The Post, Fossella reiterated his love for his island and said that if elected, he’d bring energy and vision to the City Council.
“I’m committed to fighting for a more affordable city with better schools, safer neighborhoods, strong support for our police officers, improved transportation, and a higher quality of life for all residents,” he said.
His dad, Vito, told the Advance that his son’s announcement filled him with pride — and added that Griffin’s heart is “in the right place.”
“I think at the core of it is — he said it in one sentence — we love Staten Island,” the borough prez said. “We want to do what’s best for the people of Staten Island, fight on their behalf, fight against people who want to hurt Staten Island.”
Vito won a special City Council election in 1994 to represent the South Shore and was elected to the US Congress three years later.
The Republican repped Staten Island and South Brooklyn for 11 years until 2009 when he left the lower chamber after a drunk driving arrest and a revelation that he had a secret, second family in Virginia.
But he was elected to the largely ceremonial position of Staten Island borough president in 2022, continuing decades of GOP dominance over that position.
With Post wires
