Hundreds pack ‘Empty Chair Town Hall’ on Staten Island; some blast Malliotakis

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Hundreds of disgruntled Staten Islanders gathered Saturday to participate in the latest in a long line of protests against the borough’s congressional representative.

On Saturday, critics of Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, the Republican congressmember who represents Staten Island and parts of Brooklyn, held an “Empty Chair Town Hall” at All Saints Episcopal Church in Willowbrook to protest recent actions taken by the federal government and continue calls for Malliotakis to host a town hall to hear directly from her constituents.

Event organizer Mike Decillis, who grew up in Westerleigh and now lives over the bridge in Bay Ridge, highlighted Malliotakis’ continued refusal to host a town hall during her time in office, claiming that she is more concerned with protecting President Donald Trump than the Staten Islanders and Brooklynites she represents.

“Nicole Malliotakis is serving her third term in Congress and she has yet to hold a town hall,” Decillis said. “She’s on Fox News and Newsmax every night defending [Trump] and his positions. She spends no time talking about the constituents or their needs or their concerns.”

Speakers at the event touched on a variety of hot topics, including Medicaid cuts, Social Security changes, immigration and veteran services, with organizers doing their best to provide up-to-date information on each issue in place of Malliotakis, who did not attend the event.

“There is a lot of uncertainty. A lot of people who are very scared, nervous and want some good information. So today we’re going to be providing some information, but most of today is going to be listening to the constituents, their questions, and also how they’re going to be impacted by the cuts that have taken place,” said Decillis.

Richard Kigel, a 77-year-old Castleton Corners resident, said he’s most concerned about the Trump administration attempting to take away basic constitutional rights, also noting that potential cuts to Social Security would be devastating to him and his wife.

“My wife and I are both on Social Security. We receive a Social Security check every month and if that gets interfered with we’re screwed,” Kigel said.

The Saturday protest was one of more than 1,200 “Hands Off!” rallies taking place across the country, as protestors in all 50 states take aim at President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk for the administration’s actions on government downsizing, the economy, human rights, healthcare and other issues.

In response to the widespread protests taking place as Trump spends the weekend golfing, the White House released the following statement.

“President Trump’s position is clear: he will always protect Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid for eligible beneficiaries. Meanwhile, the Democrats’ stance is giving Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare benefits to illegal aliens, which will bankrupt these programs and crush American seniors.”

Malliotakis has been at the center of various recent protests, with three taking place outside her Castleton Corners office last month focused on cuts to Medicaid, the Veterans Affairs Department and various social services.

When reached for comment regarding Saturday’s rally, a spokesperson for Malliotakis referred the reporter to a recent column written by Advance/SILive.com Executive Editor Brian Laline where he questioned the need for a town hall given the expected hostile nature of the event.

“I don’t have much interest in watching our congressional representative in the squared circle (that’s fisticuff parlance for the ring), getting pummeled in a Staten Island town hall,” Laline wrote. “This will infuriate my Dem buddies, I know . . . but really, neighbors, do any believe we will learn anything new or change the congresswoman’s mind as expletives fly and fists wave?”

In response to last month’s protests and calls for a town hall, Taylor Weyeneth, Malliotakis’ chief of staff, previously told the Advance/SILive.com: “The congresswoman communicates on a regular basis with constituents by mail, social media, television, radio, and she and members of our staff regularly attend civic associations, community boards, and other public gatherings where we engage with constituents to hear their concerns and answer any questions.”

“Our community knows where the Congresswoman stands on issues, why she votes for and against bills, and they appreciate her work and advocacy, which is why she was just reelected with over 64% of the vote. We understand that the Staten Island Democratic Party—which organized today’s rally—does not want secure borders, safe streets, waste and fraud reigned in and taxpayer money protected, but that won’t stop Nicole from doing the job an overwhelming number of our neighbors elected her to do," Weyeneth continued.

MORE ON SILIVE

Protesters tee off against Trump and Musk in ‘Hands Off!’ rallies across the U.S.