The City Council’s Republican conference is set to vote Tuesday on a new minority leader after the position’s current occupant, Staten Island’s Joe Borelli, announced over the weekend he will be stepping down on Jan. 31 to become a lobbyist.
The contentious race for who will lead the six-member conference next is between Borelli’s fellow Staten Islander, Council Member David Carr, and Council Member Joann Ariola of Queens.
Borelli said he plans to participate in the Tuesday vote and is backing Carr for the post. Carr represents the midsection of Staten Island and a small piece of Brooklyn.
“Beyond him being the most skilled and respected candidate in the race, there is a zero percent chance of me taking any action that gives Staten Island less leverage in the council and on the Budget Negotiating Committee,” Borelli said, explaining his support for Carr.
Borelli’s support for Carr was first reported by the news outlet City & State New York on Sunday.
Carr worked for Borelli when the latter was in the Assembly between 2012 and 2015. He also served as chief of staff to Borelli’s predecessor as council minority leader, Steven Matteo, for eight years.
In addition to Borelli, Carr has Brooklyn Council Member Inna Vernikov standing with him. Meanwhile, Ariola has fellow Queens GOPer Vickie Paladino and Kristy Marmorato of the Bronx in her camp.
Ariola makes her case
Published reports have indicated that with the current vote breakdown, Carr would win. That is because Carr’s seniority serves as a tie-breaker; he was sworn into office just a couple of months before Ariola.
However, Ariola said she believes not only that she can still win, but that she is far more qualified for the position.
The council member highlighted her ability to work with the council’s Democratic majority to pass legislation that would not normally pass through the overwhelmingly blue chamber.
Ariola represents much of the Rockaway peninsula and southern Queens neighborhoods, including Howard Beach, and chairs the body’s Fire and Emergency Management Committee. Prior to becoming a council member, she held many positions in Queens Republican politics, including serving as chair of the county GOP.
Ariola contended she has already been performing many of the minority leader’s duties for a long time, as Borelli has had to step back from the day-to-day to focus on finding his next job.
“I think that Joe is a very smart council member, and he is a very smart minority leader, and he was, as many of the term-limited council members are, kind of checked out because they are looking for positions elsewhere,” she said.
Ariola said she has been the “go-to person” for the council’s Republican and Common Sense Caucuses—the latter of which is a bipartisan group of Republicans and conservative Democrats—since taking office in 2022.
“They would come to me for guidance, for advice on what to do, whether it was in their offices or projects that were happening in their districts, and look for guidance as to where to go, who to speak to, who were the right people to negotiate the best deal for their district,” Ariola said. “They would come to me. I was already doing the job of the minority leader without having the title.”
‘Staten Island sticks together’
Ariola also blasted Borelli’s decision to back Carr over her.
“I think that it shows that Staten Island sticks together,” Ariola said. “Honestly, that’s just not a good enough reason to pick a leader. You should pick a leader because you’re able to lead, not because they’re your friend from the same borough that you live in and represented.”
She added that Staten Island Republicans have controlled the minority leader position for roughly two decades, and in her view, it should be Queens’ time to fill it.
Ariola and Carr share many similarities. They are both conservative Republicans who support President Trump, have been highly critical of the city’s approach to the migrant crisis, and fiercely opposed the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity zoning overhaul passed last year.
Carr did not respond to a reporter’s call or text message seeking comment.
