He saw the best of times in New York City, and the wokest of times.
Staten Island Republican City Councilman Joe Borelli is resigning at the end of the month, ending nearly a decade as one of the few strong conservative voices in an increasingly left-wing chamber.
The 42-year-old Council minority leader told The Post that he’s been dismayed by many of off-the-wall bills that, as one of only six Republicans in the 51-member chamber, he’s been powerless to stop.
The 2016 “Criminal Justice Reform Act” — which decriminalized public urination and other unseemly behaviors like littering and loitering — was a low point.
“It was the legalization of petty crimes,” recalled Borelli. “This was the willful erosion of all semblance of human society. . . . We’re supposed to just tolerate people taking a hot piss on the stoop.”
Borelli — the city’s longest serving Council member — represented the borough’s conservative South Shore since November 2015.
“I’ve met a lot of great people over my time in the city council — but some of them are crazy,” he added.
And some are quite emotional.
“I’ve had progressive members cry in my office that they weren’t getting their way on a particular policy,” he said, refusing to name names. “And I couldn’t believe that the people of any neighborhood had elected this human to represent them in City Hall. . . . Get your big boy pants or get the f–k out.”
Borelli also ticked off a raft of things he was proud of, including growing the council minority from just three to its current six members, with honorable mentions for conservative Democrats Bob Holden and Susan Zhuang.
Borelli said his proudest personal accomplishment was securing funds for the The David Marquis School of the Arts, which serves severely handicapped children in Great Kills.
“It was a school where students were housed in broken trailers, where the floor was essentially falling out below their feet,” Borelli recalled.
Borelli — who makes $148,000 as a lawmaker, but was term-limited come November — will become a managing director at Chartwell Strategy Group and open their New York office.
He won’t be allowed to lobby his former colleagues for two years, but he can get to work immediately trying to influence state and federal officials.
Borelli declined to say what clients he might represent, but Chartwell reps Hyundai, IHeartMedia and other notables.
“Coming up on term limits, you have no choice but to seek other employment. And I think it’s the right time for me to move into the private sector and explore other opportunities,” said Borelli.
Known for his keen insights and pointed but often humorous commentary, Borelli is also an author with a master’s degree in history. He hopes to stay involved in public and political discourse.
“I gave 20 years to the government and I’m proud to leave with my reputation intact. This is the right move for my family, and that’s most important,” said the married father of two sons and former state assemblyman.
His departure from the council will trigger a special election on the island to fill his seat to be held on or around the first Tuesday at least 80 days after the office has been vacated.
