Exit Interview: Joe Borelli has already started his next life as a lobbyist and pundit

After 10 years in the New York City Council and a prior three-year stint in the Assembly, Joe Borelli left his post in January. The then-minority leader accepted an offer to launch and manage Chartwell Strategy Group’s New York office, leaving office about a year before he would’ve been term-limited out.

Borelli, a native of Staten Island’s South Shore, got his start as a campaign worker and became chief of staff for then-Assembly Member Vincent Ignizio. While in office, he made a long-shot bid for New York City public advocate in 2019 and served as a spokesperson for the state Republican Party in the 2020 election cycle.

Borelli made a name for himself as a firebrand with a strong presence online and on TV news. From his new perch as a lobbyist, Borelli reflected on the theater of politics – from seizing public attention to unlikely friendships with political rivals behind the scenes. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Was there anything about being in the council that was frustrating enough to make you want to leave, or was it just that Chartwell was an incredible offer?

It was more about what’s right for the district. I felt, in all honesty, that I was stale. When people approached me in the supermarket and complained about a particular problem, and it’s the same one that I’ve been hearing about for 10 years, and I know there’s not much to be done – it just wears on you. And I thought, genuinely and honestly, that someone with new blood needs to pick up where I left off and try new things.

What was your proudest moment as a council member?

Building a new building for a special needs school. When I first went from the Assembly to the council, I promised myself, if I do nothing else, I’m going to make the kids at P.S. 37 not have to be housed in dilapidated, run-down trailers. And I said to myself, if I accomplish nothing else, my time in the council would be successful.

What’s your best memory in the council?

My best memory of the City Council actually is sort of ironic, because it was a low point for the city, and that was during COVID. Because in hindsight, so much of what I was saying proved to be right … because I used my bully pulpit to stake out positions that were plainly obvious, and, you know, years later, proven right.

Can you say more?

Like, closing schools, that was fucking stupid. And as a consequence, I pulled my kids out of public school and put them in Catholic school. Not every parent had that option and it’s disgusting that the schools were closed as long as they were.

What was your worst memory?

I can honestly say I enjoyed every minute of being a member of the council. I’m not exaggerating. I just did. I genuinely love people, and enjoyed working with all of my colleagues in the council and the Assembly throughout my career. I cannot point to one person and say I strongly dislike them.

A lot of people don’t talk like that these days.

I don’t hate the player of the game kind of thing. Like, I don’t take things personally. I do the Abby Phillip show probably once a week, right? We yell at each other on camera for an hour, and then the public doesn’t see how we just go back to the green room and are wiping the makeup off our face, laughing. Like over something silly someone said in a jovial way. If you saw me yelling at Neera Tanden and her yelling back at me, you would never assume that we were laughing on the elevator ride going there, talking about how silly something else was. That’s just how I view things. I don’t have any real personal hatred.

Speaking of the player, the game and the stage, I’m interested in what you made of the recent Mamdani-Trump presser.

I wasn’t surprised. I said as much in the media ahead of it. They will undoubtedly have fights, no question, but each man had a reason to surprise his critics. And I think both are actually – neither is the character that their critics make them out to be.

How are you feeling about Mamdani’s New York? There’s a lot of doom and gloom among Republicans.

I have a wait-and-see approach. I don’t mind being a critic when there’s stuff to criticize and I don’t mind being openly optimistic when there’s things to be optimistic about. That has the effect of usually pissing everyone off, but it’s how I’ve operated for the last 20 years.

I mean, like I talk about all the time, I had a great relationship with Bill de Blasio, I still do. I occasionally went on TV and bashed him, I mean, regularly went on TV and bashed him. But when I had some handicapped kid who needed to be transferred from one school to the other, no questions asked, I would call him on things like that, and he would help.

What drew you to the role at Chartwell?

I think anyone who’s in elected office has a tolerance for risk and an ego, so starting my own thing in conjunction with a D.C. firm made sense, because I get to still play the game with my own life. That’s a big part of running for office, and building a business gives me the same thrill. If I didn’t have that thrill – I look at some of my friends and colleagues who’ve taken more or slower paced jobs coming out of office, I realized that wouldn’t have made me happy.

Do you like it better than elected office?

I like that I don’t have to cringe at the bill if my wife orders a second martini at dinner.

Do you ever think of running for office in any capacity again in the future?

Yeah, I intend to run for Collier County commissioner when my kids are out of high school and I move to Florida. 

You’re moving to Florida? You’re not going to miss Staten Island?

I will be buried on Staten Island. I don’t know if I want to live my sunset years here. I’ve lived in the same ZIP code my whole life.

Do you have any advice for incoming council members?

This is the advice I give everyone. On Day One, go into Room 9, give every reporter your cellphone number and say you’ll answer the phone anytime they call and give an answer. That’s how I was able to build my public presence way beyond anything previous council members have ever had. … In 2025, if you have a press secretary, you’re doing it wrong as a council member.

Interesting, why’s that?

Because news is 24/7 and journalists don’t even have a deadline now, it’s more how quick can the information be transmitted from your mouth or text to X. So you’re missing it if you consult with the press secretary, have them draft a statement, then mark it up and then issue it – you’re doing it wrong. I laugh at some of my boomer politician friends who put out press releases three days later on stuff and can’t figure out why they’re never in the paper.