Council Member Joann Ariola slammed Tuesday’s Republican Caucus Minority Chief vote, calling it :illegitimate”
Image courtesy of Emil Cohen/NYC Council Media Unit
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A trio of Republican council members are contesting the most recent election of Council Member David Carr as a result of the Republican Caucus Minority Chief.
The vote befell specifically individual at Metropolis Hall on Tuesday, Jan 28, with solely three of the six Republican Caucus members in attendance.
The members present on the meeting included Carr (Staten Island), outgoing minority chief Joe Borelli (Staten Island), and Inna Vernikov (Brooklyn).
Within the meantime, Council Members Joann Ariola (Queens)- who was working for the place of minority leader- Vickie Paladino (Queens) and Kristy Marmorato (Bronx) weren’t present on the meeting.
All through the meeting, Borelli resigned from his place as minority chief and nominated Carr for the place. The three present members all voted for Carr, whereas Ariola, Paladino, and Maromato did not vote as they’d been absent. Borelli resigned from his place as minority chief on Tuesday as he is transitioning to the non-public sector to work as a lobbyist.
The vote has stirred controversy amongst the Republican Caucus as Ariola, Paladino, and Marmorato filed paperwork on Tuesday after the voting course of to contest the vote instantly, with Ariola calling it “illegitimate.”
Republican Council Members Joann Ariola of Queens (left) and David Carr of Staten Island (correct) are coping with off to be the chamber’s subsequent minority chief. Taken on Jan. 23, 2025. Image credit score rating John McCarten/NYC Council Media Unit
Council member Ariola suggested QNS she feels the vote was “theatrical.”
“ I believe…this was done for theatrics, and Council Member and Minority Leader Borelli did this because he thought he could get away with something knowing that he had to leave pretty quickly to take his job with a lobbying firm,” she talked about.
Ariola asserts that she and the two absent council members did not receive clear communication regarding the meeting agenda.
”The uncover despatched to me did not say there was a vote for minority chief. It was very obscure, and it talked about to be on the minority chief’s office at 12 noon to debate factors,” Ariola talked about.
Ariola added that Borelli opened a Zoom hyperlink for the meeting on Tuesday, giving council members uncover about 35 minutes sooner than the start of the Zoom meeting. Ariola suggested QNS she was unable to attend practically and responded immediately.
Council Members Paladino and Marmorato had been anticipated to vote for Ariola, which could have introduced on a tie vote of three to a couple. AMNY reported on Tuesday that Borelli talked about that, in line with the caucus bylaws, Carr would win a tie on account of he is the additional senior member, having been sworn in only a few months sooner than Ariola.
Ariola suggested QNS, however, that Borelli was misinterpreting the bylaws.
In keeping with Ariola, the bylaws state {{that a}} majority of the minority delegation will elect the minority chief. Furthermore, must there be a tie inside the vote for a minority chief, the council member from the minority delegation with the longest tenure will assume the place of minority chief.
“ Which means that would be Joe Borelli because he is still the senior member of that council and of that caucus. So Joe Borelli is interpreting it in his own way,” Ariola talked about.
She added that he principally had two votes by relinquishing his place to Carr, “which is not legal anywhere.”
Ariola recognized that Staten Island has held minority administration for over 20 years, together with that Borelli has beforehand talked about that he needs to keep up the administration in Staten Island to maintain up “leverage” regarding further monetary sources for the borough.
“Why shouldn’t another borough, like our borough of Queens, which is often a forgotten borough who have the same amount of council members in it, to the two that they have in Staten Island, Why shouldn’t that come back to Queens now? And, we have control and a seat at the table for the budget and budget negotiations and things of that nature,” Ariola talked about.
On Tuesday, after the caucus meeting, Ariola, Paladino, and Maromato submitted a letter of objection to Metropolis Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, the county clerk, and the office of fundamental counsel to not accept the certificates of the vote and request a model new vote be held.
“ In essence…there’s a certificate filed that has signatures on it that is Joe Borelli, David Carr, and Inna Vernikov saying that a vote was held, and there is an objection to that vote with the signatures of Kristy Marmorato, Vicky Paladino, and Joann Ariola,” Ariola talked about. “When you have two pieces of paper that have three names on each, in a six-member caucus, it proves there was no quorum.”
Ariola suggested QNS the rejection letter signifies a battle for integrity inside her get collectively. “We’re not doing this because… I don’t want you to win, and I want to win. We want to do this because it wasn’t right,” Ariola talked about. “It should be done right. And when the vote is taken right, and when a minority leader is chosen, we will work forward from there.”
“When choosing a leader for your party, especially in the city council, it should be a person of integrity, and all three members who participated in that theatrical performance showed a lack of integrity. It’s upsetting and quite saddening,” Ariola talked about.
QNS reached out to the locations of labor of the other members of the caucus and is awaiting a response.
