Long Island: The 51st State? -

By Nicolas Albarano

This is an independently submitted op-ed and does not reflect the views of The Tower.

Could Long Island become the 51st state? Before you laugh, you may be surprised to learn that this proposal has been seriously considered in the past.

Before diving into the details, one should know a little bit about New York geography and culture. New York City consists of five boroughs: Manhattan, Staten Island, the Bronx, Queens, and Brooklyn. Queens and Brooklyn are part of Long Island on its west end. As you travel eastward, you pass Nassau and Suffolk counties, which have a combined population of almost three million people. Generally speaking, anyone who wants Long Island to become the 51st state does not want Queens and Brooklyn to be a part of it; Long Islanders want to preserve their quality of life and the classic suburban charm of their communities.

In the 1990s, a New York State Assemblyman, named Joseph Sawicki Jr., introduced legislation to the state legislature to grant Long Island statehood. He emphasized that Long Island taxpayers were sending more money to the state for reallocation and receiving less from the state in return, a concern that persists today. His colleagues, State Senator Kenneth LaValle and State Assemblyman Fred Thiele Jr., called for a study regarding the feasibility of an independent Long Island. This was mainly due to a massive payroll tax imposed by the New York government to fund a bailout for the MTA (Metropolitan Transportation Authority).

A recent major development that has stirred controversy is the infamous congestion pricing. To reduce traffic through one of the busiest areas in the country, a toll was imposed on vehicles entering a specific zone in Manhattan. The pricing depends on vehicle type and travel time, but the average driver will pay $9 during the peak period, which will increase to $15 in 2031.. Long Islanders who have driven into Manhattan for work, travel, medical appointments, and a whole slew of other reasons are outraged. The alternative is public transport, and the MTA is already proposing rate hikes on the Long Island Rail Road.

One final divide to consider is that Long Island has significantly different political trends from the rest of New York, especially the city. In the 2022 midterm elections, the Republican Party emerged victorious in all four Long Island congressional seats. Both the Nassau and Suffolk county legislatures are currently under Republican control, as is county leadership. Meanwhile, an unwavering blue trifecta at the state level ensures that any meaningful change rests in the hands of the New York Democrats.

In an effort to increase voter turnout, these New York democrats have worked to move local elections from odd years to even years (when midterms and presidential elections occur). New York Republicans speculate that this is merely a political move, as Democrats tend to lose in local elections in odd-numbered years. Additionally, republicans fear that local issues will be overshadowed by the national partisan divide as a result.

Long Island secession would need to be approved by the New York legislature, Congress, and the president. In short, it’s unlikely that we will ever know Long Island as the 51st state… But hey, if Canada, Greenland, Puerto Rico, and Panama join too, we can make it to 55!