Residents of Staten Island have discussed renewed calls for secession from New York City after newly elected mayor Zohran Mamdani visited the borough.

Mamdani, 34, was sworn in as New York's youngest mayor in more than a century on New Year's Day - its first Muslim, South Asian, and African-born leader.

He ran on a Democratic socialist platform that included raising the minimum wage to $30 by 2030, raising the city's corporate tax to 11.5 percent, city-run grocery stores, fare-free buses, and freezing rent on rent-stabilized apartments.

Citizens and lawmakers of Staten Island, a staunch Republican enclave in the otherwise very liberal Big Apple, have fiercely opposed Mamdani's campaign, even suggesting they would break away from New York City's borough system.

The borough's president, Vito Fossella, told the Daily Mail that dissatisfaction among residents intensified following Mamdani's election, citing ideological differences and concerns over citywide policies.

'Personally, and I think the vast majority of Staten Islanders, do not embrace socialism as an effective form of government,' Fossella said. 'Historically, it's proven to be destructive, economically and spiritually, and has led to a loss of freedom and even life.'

This is not the first time Staten Island voiced the possibility of seceding from the borough system. 

Staten Island previously pursued independence in the early 1990s, when voters approved a nonbinding referendum by roughly 65 percent.

Residents on Staten Island are once again discussing secession from New York City after newly elected Mayor Zohran Mamdani visited the borough

Staten Island borough president Vito Fossella has previously voiced support for secession from the five borough system

However, state lawmakers later blocked the effort, preventing it from moving forward.

'Back then, we had lost our power in the city,' Fossella explained, recalling the abolition of the Board of Estimate and Staten Island's diminished influence. 'We were dumped on - literally and figuratively - with Fresh Kills Landfill taking 100 percent of the city's garbage while we had only five percent of its population.'

Fossella said a formal petition or referendum has not been circulated at present, though borough officials funded a new feasibility study in 2023.

'Right now, it's a genuine discussion, not a negotiating tool,' he said. 'If secession is the best and ultimate solution for the people, who are my neighbors and friends, then that's where we'll go. But it's not there yet.'

If the borough chooses to become its own city, Staten Island, with a current population of 493,000 residents, would outsize major U.S. cities such as Miami and Cleveland.

'We'd still be a very large city relative to most in the United States,' Fossella said. 'And one of the largest counties in New York State.'