The Office of Staten Island Borough President
12/12/2025 | Press release | Archived content
Borough President Vito Fossella Calls For God Will, Discretion For Small Businesses
​Borough President Vito Fossella called for discretion and common sense from city agencies in the enforcement of minor infractions for small businesses at a press conference outside of Ariemma's Italian Deli, a staple in Dongan Hills for more than 70 years.
His call-to-action stems from a long-held belief that the city often makes it difficult for small businesses to operate, oftentimes with rules that are obscure or unnecessary.
Santo Ariemma recently received summonses from the City Department of Sanitation Police in the amount of $50 to $500 for the placement of a sign on the sidewalk outside of the store that advertises products and sales. The summonses cited that the sign impeded
pedestrian traffic.
"We're here today just a few weeks before Christmas in front of Ariemma's, which has been here for 70 years, and unfortunately, the Ariemma family got a lump of coal," said Borough President Fossella, noting the sign has probably stood in the same spot since before Santo Ariemma was born. "As a result, Santo rightfully stood up and spoke out -- and you shouldn't be afraid to speak out when the government does something wrong. In this case, the government did something wrong."
Borough President Fossella said a "lack of discretion and a lack of common sense was the order of the day" with city agencies often viewing small businesses as a "cash machine" when they need revenue.
"Don't ruin their day with nonsense, at least give them an option to say, 'hey, buddy, this sign is not supposed to be here or can you move it over there,'" he said. "You can't consult with people like that? Is that not the norm anymore? We're here to stand with this family that has committed themselves to Staten Island. They work 12-or-13-hour days and it's difficult enough with taxes and regulations and everything that comes with it. We're just here to say the city should step back and see the business owners as the backbone of the economy, as the backbone of our community, as a opposed to a group of individuals or entities that could just grab money whenever they need."
Santo Ariemma said he was handed the summons without any conversation.
"The signs have been out here for 30-plus years and they've never been in anyone's way," he said. "The signs are for advertisements, to try to make an honest dollar and now for me to try to fight this ticket, I have to take a day off from work, which means I am going to lose more money. I am going to have to pay for someone to represent me. It's a bunch of nonsense for a small family business."
His call-to-action stems from a long-held belief that the city often makes it difficult for small businesses to operate, oftentimes with rules that are obscure or unnecessary.
Santo Ariemma recently received summonses from the City Department of Sanitation Police in the amount of $50 to $500 for the placement of a sign on the sidewalk outside of the store that advertises products and sales. The summonses cited that the sign impeded
pedestrian traffic.
"We're here today just a few weeks before Christmas in front of Ariemma's, which has been here for 70 years, and unfortunately, the Ariemma family got a lump of coal," said Borough President Fossella, noting the sign has probably stood in the same spot since before Santo Ariemma was born. "As a result, Santo rightfully stood up and spoke out -- and you shouldn't be afraid to speak out when the government does something wrong. In this case, the government did something wrong."
Borough President Fossella said a "lack of discretion and a lack of common sense was the order of the day" with city agencies often viewing small businesses as a "cash machine" when they need revenue.
"Don't ruin their day with nonsense, at least give them an option to say, 'hey, buddy, this sign is not supposed to be here or can you move it over there,'" he said. "You can't consult with people like that? Is that not the norm anymore? We're here to stand with this family that has committed themselves to Staten Island. They work 12-or-13-hour days and it's difficult enough with taxes and regulations and everything that comes with it. We're just here to say the city should step back and see the business owners as the backbone of the economy, as the backbone of our community, as a opposed to a group of individuals or entities that could just grab money whenever they need."
Santo Ariemma said he was handed the summons without any conversation.
"The signs have been out here for 30-plus years and they've never been in anyone's way," he said. "The signs are for advertisements, to try to make an honest dollar and now for me to try to fight this ticket, I have to take a day off from work, which means I am going to lose more money. I am going to have to pay for someone to represent me. It's a bunch of nonsense for a small family business."
The Office of Staten Island Borough President published this content on December 12, 2025, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on December 17, 2025 at 18:48 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]