Morano explains vote - voting no on expense budget over stripped NYPD funding

More on all.

I'm disclosing on the record of the council proceedings that the New York City Department of Education, Lose Helping Hand, Victory for the Voiceless, Prospect Heights Open Street Inc., Columbia University, City University of New York,

YMCA, and the Italian Club of Staten Island are funded in the budget.

We're adopting, and my child, spouse, siblings, and I, respectively, are associated with those entities.

Permission to explain my vote.

Permission, Granson.

First, I want to express my profound gratitude to our speaker, our finance chair, and the entire budget negotiating team.

Because of their fierce advocacy, this budget delivers incredible, historic capital investments for Staten Island, investments that will benefit our borough for generations.

This team stood tall, and it's precisely because of their exceptional leadership that I'm enthusiastically voting yes on the capital budget today.

I also want to praise my progressive colleagues in this chamber.

We don't always see eye to eye, but during these high-stakes negotiations, nobody blinked.

My colleagues refused the temptation to be divided or picked off by the other side of City Hall.

They stood united as honest brokers for what they thought was right, and that's true public service, and I respect all of them for it.

Unfortunately, I can't say the same for the executive branch, and that's why I must vote no on the expense budget.

Yesterday, on the very eve of this vote, we learned that funding for 580 additional NYP

officers was quietly stripped.

Just weeks ago, the police commissioner and the budget director testified right here in this room that these officers were fully funded and critical to keeping violent crime down.

To pull the rug out at the 11th hour after formal negotiations concluded and when it was too late to negotiate an alternative, it's a slap in the face to this body and an insult to the public trust.

I can't understand how city government can find the time, the money, and the focus to name a bunch of stuff for a basketball team and change it all back, but we can't find a way to hire 580 more cops?

Mayor Mamdani has proven himself to be a totally dishonest broker.

Good government requires transparency and baseline integrity, not governing by surprise behind closed doors.

As proud as I am of our speaker, I can't support an expense budget handed down by an administration that negotiates in bad faith and compromises the safety of our streets.

With that, I vote aye on all with the exception of Intro 31A, Intro 92A, Reso 529, Resos 530, 531, 532,

Preconsidered Resolutions 534 and 535, Preconsidered Resolutions 539 and 540 and M69, Preconsidered Resolutions 543 and M74,

To the resolution 546 and M82.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilman.