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Staten Island has a ferry, a giant Ferris wheel that never happened and a complicated relationship with the rest of New York City. What it has not technically had, at least according to city law, is an official flag—but that could soon change.
The New York City Council is considering legislation that would formally codify Staten Island’s existing flag, turning a roughly decade-old borough symbol into the real, legally recognized deal. The Council’s Committee on Governmental Operations, State and Federal Legislation is scheduled to vote on the measure this Thursday, August 13.
But before you start imagining a flag emblazoned with a slice from Denino’s, a wild turkey and the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, Staten Island already has a design: the current flag has a beige background with an elaborate circular seal in blue, green, white and cream. Inside is a woman holding a downward-pointing sword and a shield decorated with two turtle doves, gazing across the water at a large ship and a smaller boat carrying three people. There are also clouds, stars and a crescent moon, plus the words “Staten Island” and “City of New York” and the years 1609 and 1898.
The latter marks the year Staten Island joined Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx to form modern New York City. The flag itself was created under former Borough President James Oddo about a decade ago, replacing an earlier version that Oddo and other critics reportedly thought made the borough look like a garbage dump.
Councilmember Frank Morano, who represents Staten Island’s South Shore, has been pushing to make the newer flag official since last fall, when it flew at City Hall during October. His bill now has more than two dozen Council sponsors.
If approved, Staten Island would join Brooklyn and the Bronx as the only boroughs with flags specifically codified in the city’s Administrative Code. The proposal would also formally allow the flag to appear at parades, receptions and other civic events. The measure would still need approval from the full City Council before heading to Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
But if we're finally making this thing official, we have a few additions to humbly suggest: the Staten Island Ferry deserves a cameo, as does the Verrazzano. And, naturally, a Wu-Tang logo would be excellent, though presumably legally complicated. And surely there’s room somewhere for a turkey.