The New York Observer » Vito Fossella

Fossella Bows Out? Really?

Former Rep. Vito Fossella announced today that he will not seek election to the seat he resigned from, despite having won the Staten Island Republican committee's endorsement last week.

Fossella said he's "enjoyed the private sector" and the "freedom that comes with it," and would just as soon not return to Read More

Vito Fossella Endorsed by S.I. Republicans

Former Rep. Vito Fossella was endorsed by the executive committee of the Staten Island Republican committee tonight, snubbing two other candidates actively seeking the party's nomination.

The vote tonight, according to the Staten Island Advance, was 23 to 4."I think many people are surprised at the actions of the executive committee," said Vinny Ignizio, a Read More

Allegretti Attacks the Fossella Excuse

The return of Vito Fossella got a little more interesting, with this item from Celeste Katz, saying the former congressman is paving the way for a 2012 run, by trying to stymie support from going to one particular candidate in 2010: Mike Grimm.

Katz wrote: "One longtime GOP operative said Fossella and his surrogates Read More

Health Care Advocate Warns McMahon of Trouble With the Base

At a press conference at City Hall, supporters of the federal health care legislation that narrowly passed the House this weekend singled out Rep. Mike McMahon for opposing the bill, and said he may have “political problems with his base” if he keeps opposing it.

McMahon, a freshman, is the first Democrat to represent the 13th Read More

Fossella Makes the Case for Bloomberg

Last night, the Staten Island Republican Party indicated, once again, that they’d like to see Michael Bloomberg re-elected as mayor.

Making the case to a room full of Republicans was the passingly controversial former representative Vito Fossella, who said, “If there ever was a time we need Mike Bloomberg representing all of us in Read More

Bloomberg Defends Fossella, Existentially

After joining Representative Carolyn Maloney and federal Transportation Secretary Mary Peters for an announcement in Penn Station about plans for a high-speed rail line to Washington, I asked Michael Bloomberg if he’d like to see Vito Fossella back in elected office again.

“Oh, I don’t know. That’s up to Vito and his constituents,” Bloomberg Read More

Fossella Pledges ’100 Percent’ to Bloomberg, Breakfast Guest

Here, in the video below, is departing Republican Representative Vito Fossella chatting with reporters after his big thank-you breakfast on Staten Island yesterday.

The event generated speculation that Fossella may seek to run for office again in the future, and demonstrated that yes, he’s still popular with in his district. Local elected Read More

Molinari: Anybody But Straniere, Please

[img_assist|nid=37|title=Guy Molinari.|desc=Getty Images|link=none|align=right|width=206|height=300]For almost thirty years, Republicans have held onto the 13th Congressional district and this November, with the nomination of Bob Straniere, that run is likely to end.“Really, just about anybody off the street would have been a better candidate,” said Guy Molinari, a Republican who defeated an incumbent Democrat in 1980 to begin the G.O.P.’s Read More

McMahon Commends Republican Fossella for Supporting ‘Imperfect, But Necessary Answer’

Retiring Republican Representative Vito Fossella got some mild praise from the Democrat who's running for his seat.

In a public statement just now, City Councilman Mike McMahon, said:

"When Americans across the country receive their 401k statements at the end of the month, the gravity of today's vote will be clear. Over the past week, Republicans and Read More

Bob Straniere and the Case of the Unsolicited Judgeship

I just spoke with former assemblyman Bob Straniere, the Staten Island Republican who is running for the Vito Fossella Congressional seat and, weirdly, was nominated to be a judge last night.

Straniere said, "I am running for Congress," and also, "I have no interest in being judge."

When I asked how he got the Read More

Mike Long on a Fossella Comeback: No Thanks

After the Conservative Party candidate dropped out of the race for Representative Vito Fossella’s seat, I asked the chairman of the state party if Fossella himself could make a late entry into the race.“This opens the door for a candidate,” chairman Mike Long told me, before adding, “I have not had any conversations Read More

Vito Fossella Gets Some Good Press

Representative Vito Fossella has been named one of Capitol Hill's 50 most beautiful people by the newspaper The Hill.

Looking for G.O.P. Candidates on Staten Island

The death of Frank Powers means Republicans on Staten Island are, again, looking for someone to run for Vito Fossella’s seat.So, who’s on the list?Scratch off District Attorney Dan Donovan, whose spokesman said he hasn’t changed his mind from last month about not running for the seat. Also not interested in running is Read More

McMahon Gets the Inevitable Question

At a press conference on the City Hall steps just now, where the DCCC and some local officials endorsed Mike McMahon for Congress, a reporter asked the the question he was eventually going to get:

Have you ever driven drunk? Or had an extramarital affair?

McMahon is running for the seat currently held by Vito Read More

Recchia Drops Congressional Bid

Democratic City Councilman Domenic Recchia of Brooklyn just announced he is dropping out of the race for Vito Fossella's congressional seat.

Staten Island Democrats recently endorsed another candidate, City Councilman Mike McMahon. Although the district lies partly in Brooklyn, Staten Island residents are a majority.

In the release, Recchia says he thinks Democrats should Read More