ICYMI: Staten Island Advance Endorses Andrew Cuomo for Mayor
“Vote for Andrew Cuomo, a seasoned executive with decades of governing experience neither of the other candidates possess.”
NEW YORK, NY — The Staten Island Advance — the borough’s only daily newspaper and a leading voice for working New Yorkers — today endorsed Andrew M. Cuomo for Mayor of New York City, calling him “the only candidate ready to lead this city and deliver for Staten Island.”
In a wide-ranging editorial, the Advance praised Cuomo’s experience, steady leadership, and deep connection to Staten Island, emphasizing that he is “a seasoned executive with decades of governing experience neither of the other candidates possess.”
The paper warned voters that “a vote for Curtis Sliwa is a vote Cuomo does not get, handing City Hall to Mamdani,”urging Staten Islanders to unite behind Cuomo to prevent the city from “returning to ideological extremism and inexperience.”
“Staten Islanders have been treated like second-class citizens for too long — that ends when I’m mayor,” Cuomo said. “I’m honored by the endorsement of the Staten Island Advance, a paper that knows this borough, its people, and its values. Staten Islanders deserve a mayor who will fight for fairness, common sense, and respect — and I will.”
Full Text of Staten Island Advance Editorial (October 23, 2025)
This Election Day, Staten Islanders Must Come Out in Force and Vote Cuomo for Mayor — Our Opinion
We’d like to say the choice is clear for Staten Island in the upcoming mayoral election, one that could result in monumental change in the way our city is managed.
But for Staten Island, it’s not that simple. For us, the choice is clear between two of the three candidates—Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Mamdani is not ready now, if he ever will be, to lead New York City, its hundreds of thousands of employees and its $110 billion budget. The man’s only real job at 34 years old has been state assemblyman since 2020. Most of his policies and proposals are so out of touch that we’re certain they’re unachievable. Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo is ready.
But then, add Curtis Sliwa to the mix. Sliwa speaks Staten Island. He knows the people. He knows the issues. He knows where Hylan Boulevard and New Dorp Lane are. He knows the struggles Staten Islanders face, like bike lanes he says he’d eliminate after six months of non-use, and traffic cameras, which he’d eliminate immediately. And Sliwa has a legion of fans in our borough.
Elect Curtis Sliwa and we’d have the 1990’s version of Rudy Giuliani in terms of attention to Staten Island, even though Sliwa’s ability to govern a metropolis is unknown.
That said, we agree with the pollsters. Curtis Sliwa will not be elected in our overwhelmingly Democratic city, no matter how many Staten Islanders vote for him. A recent poll has Mamdani and Cuomo in a dead heat if Sliwa wasn’t in the race.
We understand many Staten Islanders think Sliwa should be the next mayor. But we urge those Staten Islanders to consider the political leaning of the rest of New York and that a vote for Sliwa is a vote Cuomo does not get, handing City Hall to Mamdani.
Some put it this way: A vote for Curtis Sliwa is really a vote for Zohran Mamdani.
If Sliwa supporters want to see New York prosper after the tumultuous years of Eric Adams, they should cast their vote for Andrew Cuomo. At least they won’t have to do what many Republicans find repugnant and vote on the Democratic line. Cuomo is on the Independent line.
If it eases Republican conscience, when questioned by the Advance/SILive.com whether, if elected, he would consider offering Sliwa a position in his administration, the former governor was not opposed to the idea. Of course, we have no way of knowing if he would—or if Sliwa would take the job. But for Sliwa fans, your vote for Cuomo is worth the gamble.
We endorsed the former governor in the primary and as we noted then, Staten Island needs a stronger relationship with the mayor and his commissioners in the next mayoral administration. We can do that with Andrew Cuomo, a politician who has a long history with the borough. He was governor for 10 years, and his father, Mario, governor for 11 years, with whom he worked.
We are pleased to endorse Andrew Cuomo again.
Both Sliwa and Cuomo agree on some of the issues, notably that outer boroughs get a raw deal.
Cuomo says there is a “Manhattan-based mentality” that ignores boroughs like Staten Island. “There’s a different reality in the outer boroughs,” he says, citing transportation policies, like bike lanes that he argues make “driving impossible” in areas where residents rely on cars.
He agreed with our continuing criticism of the Department of Transportation’s one-size-fits-all policy, saying he would give more control to the local office in making borough-specific decisions.
He and Sliwa are familiar with the battery energy storage issue on Staten Island, both saying there needs to be more control over siting.
Cuomo, when governor, worked to establish offshore wind to help power New York. It was approved and then later rescinded upon Donald Trump’s reelection. The president, instead, is pushing an underwater natural gas pipeline that would hug Staten Island, potentially causing environmental concerns. The project was denied when Cuomo was governor. Cuomo opposes it. “Why would you give him the pipeline that I fought 10 years? It’s bad for Staten Island...” he said.
Zohran Mamdani has charmed New York since bursting onto the big stage in his quest to run one of the biggest and most complicated cities on the planet.
But what do we really know about him?
We know he talks to struggling, cash-strapped New Yorkers in language they can understand, many who can barely meet their rent and buy food at the same time, many now living in shelters or at food pantries every week, making promises that will ease their financial burdens.
“Your rent is too high. I’ll freeze it. Grocery prices are too high. I’ll open cheaper grocery stores. Your child-care cost is through the roof. I’ll make it free. Bus fares keep going up. They’ll be free, too. You pay taxes. Billionaires should, too—at a higher rate.”
Promises we do not think he can keep.
Staten Islanders must come out in force. Vote early, between Oct. 25 and Nov. 2, or vote on Election Day, Nov. 4.
Vote for Andrew Cuomo, a seasoned executive with decades of governing experience neither of the other candidates possess.
Staten Island put Rudy Giuliani over the top in 1993, and Mike Bloomberg over the top in 2001.
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