Joe Borelli
{{short description|American politician}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Joe Borelli
| image = Joe Borelli 2023.jpeg
| caption = Borelli in 2023
| office = Minority Leader of the New York City Council
| term_start = November 17, 2021
| term_end = January 31, 2025
| predecessor = Steven Matteo
| successor = David Carr
| office1 = Member of the New York City Council
from the 51st district
| term_start1 = November 30, 2015
| term_end1 = January 31, 2025
| predecessor1 = Vincent Ignizio
| successor1 = Frank Morano
| state_assembly2 = New York
| district2 = 62nd
| term_start2 = January 1, 2013
| term_end2 = November 30, 2015
| predecessor2 = Louis Tobacco
| successor2 = Ronald Castorina
| birth_name = Joseph Charles Borelli
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1982|7|27}}
| birth_place = New York City, New York, U.S.
| death_date =
| death_place =
| party = Republican
| education = Marist College (BA)
College of Staten Island (MA)
| website = {{URL|josephborelli.com|Official website}}
}}
Joseph Charles Borelli (born July 27, 1982) is an American politician who formerly served as the Minority Leader of the New York City Council. In the Council, he represented the 51st District, which encompasses much of the South Shore of Staten Island. He is a Republican and a staunch supporter of Donald Trump. He now works as a political consultant for Chartwell Strategy Group.{{Cite web |title=City Councilman Joe Borelli to step down at end of the month |url=https://ny1.com/nyc/manhattan/politics/2025/01/25/city-councilman-joe-borelli-to-step-down-at-end-of-the-month |access-date=2025-01-27 |website=ny1.com |language=en}}
Early life, education, and career
Borelli was born in Staten Island and adopted at birth by the Borelli family.{{cite news |last=Wrobleski |first=Tom |date=June 6, 2012 |url=http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf/2012/06/staten_island_gop_assembly_can.html |title=Right-to-life support for Staten Island candidate, an adoptee |work=Staten Island Advance}} He attended Public School 4, Our Lady Star of the Sea Grammar School, and St. Joseph by-the-Sea High School, from which he graduated in 2000.
After graduating from Marist College, he worked on the campaign of Vincent Ignizio, who was elected to the New York State Assembly from the 62nd District. He became Chief-of-Staff to the then-Assemblyman, and continued in that role when Ignizio was elected to the New York City Council in February 2007.
Political career
Borelli was elected on November 6, 2012, to the State Assembly to succeed the retiring Louis Tobacco. He was one of only two Republicans in New York City's State Assembly delegation.
On November 3, 2015, Borelli won a special election to replace fellow Republican Vincent Ignizio on the City Council. Ignizio had left the Council in July to work for a nonprofit. Borelli was sworn into office on November 30, 2015, and was chosen to be the Council's Minority Whip.
In 2016, Borelli frequently appeared on national cable TV news shows where he supported Donald Trump as the Republican Presidential nominee. Borelli also co-chaired Trump's campaign during the 2016 New York Republican primary.{{cite web | last = Gay | first = Mara | title = Donald Trump Supporter Wages Lonely Fight on Liberal New York City Council | newspaper = The Wall Street Journal | date = May 13, 2016 | url = https://www.wsj.com/articles/donald-trump-supporter-wages-lonely-fight-on-liberal-new-york-city-council-1463184329}} Trump later won New York's primary with 59% of the vote, and he went on to win the Republican nomination and later the general election. The following year, Borelli was re-elected in the New York City Council elections, 2017, winning 80% of the vote.{{cite news |last1=Bloch |first1=Matthew |last2=Lee |first2=Jasmine |date=December 20, 2017 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/elections/results/new-york-general-elections |title=Election Results: De Blasio Wins Second Term as New York City Mayor |newspaper=The New York Times}}
In 2019, Borelli was the Republican and Conservative Party nominee for NYC Public Advocate, running against Democratic incumbent Jumaane Williams. Williams won the race garnering 77.9 percent of the vote to Borelli's 20%.{{cite web | url=https://ballotpedia.org/Joe_Borelli | title=Joe Borelli }}{{cite web |title=Unofficial Election Night Results: Public Advocate |url=https://web.enrboenyc.us/OF12CY0PY3.html |access-date=November 9, 2019 |publisher=Board of Elections in the City of New York}} In 2019, New York State Republican Chairman Nick Langworthy named Borelli as a spokesman to help spread the New York GOP's message during the 2020 election cycle.{{Cite web|last=Reisman|first=Nick|date=December 24, 2019|url=https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nys/central-ny/politics/2019/12/24/state-gop-chair-turns-to-staunch-trump-ally-to-lead-2020-messaging|title=State GOP Chair Turns To Staunch Trump Ally to Lead 2020 Messaging|website=Spectrum News 1|language=en|access-date=February 9, 2020}}
On November 17, 2021, Borelli was elected as Minority Leader of the City Council's Republican delegation, replacing outgoing Council Member Steven Matteo.
In 2022, Borelli criticized the planned implementation of congestion pricing to the most crowded areas of Manhattan.{{Cite web |date=2022-09-13 |title=New York City congestion pricing plan facing opposition |url=https://pix11.com/news/local-news/new-york-city-congestion-pricing-plan-facing-opposition/ |website=PIX11 |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |date=2023 |title=Spotlight back on congestion pricing as state seeks new funds for MTA |url=https://ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/politics/2023/02/04/spotlight-back-on-congestion-pricing-as-state-seeks-new-funds-for-mta |website=ny1.com |language=en}} Congestion pricing eventually went into effect in January 2025.
In 2024, Borelli introduced a bill to revoke New York City's status as a sanctuary city, in an attempt to mitigate the effects of illegal immigration. He stated that "sanctuary city policy is a social experiment gone off the rails."{{Cite web |date=June 1, 2024 |title=New NYC bill seeks to repeal de Blasio-era 'sanctuary city' laws to help weed out 'criminal' migrants |url=https://council.nyc.gov/joseph-borelli/2024/06/01/new-nyc-bill-seeks-to-repeal-de-blasio-era-sanctuary-city-laws-to-help-weed-out-criminal-migrants/ |access-date=2025-01-27 |website=Joseph Borelli |language=en-US}}
In January 2025, Borelli resigned from the City Council, about a year before he would have been required to leave office due to term limits. He took a position in the private sector, joining Chartwell Strategy Group, a political consulting firm. Borelli became the first Managing Director of the firm's recently opened New York City office.{{Cite web |date=2025-01-27 |title=Staten Island's Joe Borelli announces resignation from NYC City Council |url=https://www.silive.com/politics/2025/01/staten-islands-joe-borelli-announces-resignation-from-nyc-city-council.html?outputType=amp |archive-url=https://archive.today/20250127022605/https://www.silive.com/politics/2025/01/staten-islands-joe-borelli-announces-resignation-from-nyc-city-council.html?outputType=amp |archive-date=2025-01-27 |url-status=live |access-date=2025-01-27 |website=Staten Island Live}} He said that he plans to remain politically engaged and will continue to make appearances in the media, despite no longer holding public office.
Personal life
Borelli lives in the Annadale neighborhood of Staten Island, with his wife Rachel and their two sons: Joseph and John. The family also has an English Bulldog named Luna.{{Cite web |title=About Joe |url=https://council.nyc.gov/joseph-borelli/ |access-date=2025-01-27 |website=Joseph Borelli |language=en-US}}
References
{{reflist|refs=
|url = http://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/Joseph-Borelli/bio/
|title = Joe Borelli: Biography
|publisher = New York State Assembly
|access-date = January 4, 2013
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130106013013/http://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/Joseph-Borelli/bio/
|archive-date = January 6, 2013
}}
|url= http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf/2012/11/first-time_candidate_joseph_bo.html
|title= First-time candidate Joseph Borelli declares victory in Staten Island's South Shore Assembly seat
|newspaper= Staten Island Advance
|date= November 7, 2012
|access-date= November 14, 2012}}
}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-par|us-ny-hs}}
{{s-bef|before=Louis Tobacco}}
{{s-ttl|title=Member of the New York State Assembly
from the 62nd district|years=2013–2015}}
{{s-aft|after=Ronald Castorina}}
|-
{{s-off}}
{{s-bef|before=Vincent Ignizio}}
{{s-ttl|title=Member of the New York City Council
from the 51st district|years=2015–present}}
{{s-inc}}
{{s-end}}
{{New York City Council}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Borelli, Joseph}}
Category:Marist College alumni
Category:New York City Council members
Category:Politicians from Staten Island
Category:Republican Party members of the New York State Assembly
Category:St. Joseph by the Sea High School alumni
Category:21st-century members of the New York State Legislature