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Vito Fossella has been one of our friends and neighbors for his entire life.  Born and raised on Staten Island Vito has been a tireless advocate, fighting for us every step of the way during his public career.  Vito was raised in South Beach on Staten Island, attending Monsignor Farrell High School, received a Bachelor of Science from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and earned a Juris Doctor from the Fordham School of Law.

In 1994, Vito began his public career by winning a New York City Council seat representing the South Shore of Staten Island.  During his time in the City Council, Vito introduced the first ever Fresh Kills Landfill closure bill on February 16, 1996. While many people rightfully deserve recognition for the closure of Fresh Kills, Vito’s bill is credited with leading to the agreement to close the dump. Vito’s bill ultimately forced City and State officials to stop nearly a half-century of dumping on Staten Island.

Also during his tenure in the City Council, Vito conceived the idea of the South Richmond Rezoning Study. Teaming up with Borough hall, Vito helped implement this sweeping plan to prevent the construction of more than 75,000 new houses from Tottenville to Bay Terrace. In addition, Vito also authored 7 downzoning laws that prohibited the construction of townhouses and overly dense developments across Staten Island. Vito ‘s 7 applications were more than any other elected official in the borough.

In 1997, Vito won the highly publicized special election to represent Staten Island and Brooklyn in the United States House of Representatives.  Over the past seven years, Vito has been a tireless fighter for the people of our community. Among his many accomplishments, Vito:

• Secured $125 million for sick 9/11 first responders

• Helped dedicate $13 billion to upgrade equipment and expand training for firefighters, police, and EMS workers

• Potentially saved hundreds of millions of dollars in homeland security funding from being diverted to other states by stripping anti-New York language from the Homeland Security Appropriations Bill

• Introduced legislation to require that Homeland Security funding be distributed based on threat  

• Supported a Patient's Bill of Rights that would have created safeguards to hold HMO's accountable for their decisions, give patients the right to choose their own doctor and provide direct access to specialty medical care

• Dedicated $2.5 trillion to strengthen social security, which will guarantee that every senior receives his or her full benefits

• Secured an unprecedented $100,000 to help implement the Mid-Island/North Shore Rezoning, protecting areas from Tompkinsville to Oakwood

• Partnered with Councilman Lanza to secure an agreement from the Archdiocese to protect 4 acres of the Camp St. Edwards property and to save an additional 4 acres of open space next to the site

• Helped negotiate an innovative agreement to establish nearly 50 new classrooms in Brooklyn schools in order to relieve overcrowding