By Luke Peteley
Staten Island Advance, N.Y.
(TNS)
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — The outrage over the release of a list containing the names and addresses of thousands of property owners whose homes “may” be subject to the city’s proposed pied-à-terre tax is not restricted to elected officials.
A group of Staten Island homeowners voiced their concerns over the publication of the city’s supplemental property roll alongside Borough President Vito Fossella during a press conference in Midland Beach Thursday.
The list released by the city contains hundreds of Staten Island properties, including many that should not qualify for the surcharge on luxury second homes. The tax is supposed to apply to condominiums and co-ops valued at a minimum of $1 million and one- to three-family homes valued above $5 million that are not used as primary residences.
The city has stressed that it was required by law to make the roll public as part of the process for a new tax, and that it indicated the list consisted of properties that may be subjected to the tax, not that necessarily were.
City Hall projects the tax, which was proposed as an effort to bridge the city’s budget gap, will raise $500 million annually.
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A safety threat
Yesenia and Brian Thompson are New Springville residents; she’s a retired nurse and he’s a retired member of the NYPD who served for 20 years.
During his time in law enforcement, Brian said he arrested more than 600 people. With the release of this tax list, his primary concern is the safety of his family.
“I’m worried about people I’ve locked up, people that I’ve put in prison that are going to see this and come after me,” he told the Advance/SILive.com.
The Thompsons explained that they do not own a second residence and said much of their working lives was spent living paycheck to paycheck.
“How do I prove that I don’t have something?” Yesenia questioned.
The couple criticized the city for not doing its due diligence and pondered the motive behind such a move.
“It’s an injustice and it feels like the city is targeting us and people like us in our whole neighborhood,” Yesenia added. “I’m shocked.”
They believe the city should have done its investigation first before releasing the list containing such sensitive information on those who only “may” end up being taxed.
An opportunity for bad actors
Maria Esposito, a Dongan Hills resident, who is also on the list, spoke at the press conference.
“What due diligence did they do? Did they do any due diligence? And when you look at the list, so many people are on there, it just doesn’t make sense,” she said.
Esposito argued that the city should have taken down the list already, but as of Thursday morning, it remained online.
She pointed out the difference between this and searching someone’s name online, as this list provides estimated market values for properties alongside their names.
Esposito also expressed concerns that a list like this could open the door for bad actors to target vulnerable residents listed through scams.
Valerie Martinez and her husband are Staten Island residents and civil servants who do not own a second residence. She reiterated concerns over safety and the potential to be targeted by scammers.
A borough-wide blowback
Mario Buonviaggio, vice chair of the Port Richmond Strong North Shore Alliance civic group, slammed city government for creating “havoc” in the Port Richmond community and “demonizing the hard-working people that purchased a home.”
Buonviaggio shared a story of a homeowner pursuing citizenship who was put on the list. He claimed this list now opens the door for other agencies to look into those listed.
Fossella, who is also on the list, spoke to the issue and stressed that we are living in “dangerous times.”
“This isn’t New York City,” the borough president said. “This is Havana. This isn’t capitalism. This is communism. And guess what? the people behind me? They’re the targets, they’re now the enemy.”
He noted that the people who joined him are hard workers “investing in the American dream,” but that dream is now “the American nightmare.”
While Fossella acknowledged that policy is policy, he said that the list should be withdrawn to ensure that those who are not subject to the luxury tax don’t have to “jump through hoops” to prove the residence listed is their primary home.
The Department of Finance statement on the list
Property rolls and assessment records similar to this one are required to be public by law in New York City and New York State, the city said.
“As per state law, a property roll was released for public inspection. From this list, DOF will identify properties that may be subject to the new non-primary residence property surcharge,” a spokesperson for the Department of Finance said.
According to the Department of Finance, only those who have received notification from the department may have this bill added to their property taxes in 2027.
The city had begun mailing notices to property owners who may be subject to a proposed tax on second homes. It is believed that about 17,000 notices have been sent out as of Thursday.
Photo credit: Stephen McFadden/Unsplash
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© 2026 Staten Island Advance, N.Y. Visit www.silive.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency LLC.
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