The City Island community will bid farewell to longtime resident and community advocate Bill Stanton, who is retiring from the City Island Civic Association (CICA) after being its president for the last 15 years.
During his tenure with the CICA, Stanton’s top priority was always making sure the community was taken care of and that their needs were being advocated for.
Stanton, along with the the CICA, played a major role in multiple local causes, including opposing the original proposed design for the new City Island Bridge, which was proposed to also include a 450-foot tower, along with fighting the removal of the beloved Black Whale sign, keeping the FDNY’s Engine 70 and Ladder 53 on City Island during the city’s budget cuts as well as getting police cameras installed on the City Island Bridge.
Stanton, 60, grew up on Winter Street in City Island in the late 1960s and early 1970s and went to historical school PS17, which was built in the late 1800s.
Throughout his decade and a half tenure as president of the CICA, which is an unpaid position, Stanton focused primarily on the safety, security and quality of life among the residents of City Island while mitigating and managing local issues and conflicts.
According to Stanton, the City Island Civic Association has been active for more than 70 years.
Stanton was a police officer in the South Bronx from 1984 to 1988, before he was honorably discharged after suffering a hand injury in the line of duty. In the 1990s, he worked with late NYPD legend Jack Maple, the creator of CompStat, a computer program used by police department which gathers crime statistics.
He later appeared on NBC’s Today Show and ABC’s Good Morning America, was one of the executive producers for the A&E reality television series Growing Up Gotti in the mid-t0-late 2000s and was also on the cover of New York Magazine along with a feature in a January 2001 issue.
Replacing former CICA president Frank Fitts, Stanton became the Civic’s president in 2008.
“During my tenure, the biggest strength of the (CICA) was its diversity,” Stanton said. “Also, it didn’t matter if someone’s political views were far left or far right — the only thing that mattered was coming together to make the best decisions for the community.”
Stanton is also an established author who has written and published three books, including the Anti-Terror Checklist, published just after 9/11, Badge of Evil, and Prepared Not Scared.
His final meeting as the CICA president took place on Tuesday, Nov. 28, at the City Island Community Center — located at 190 Fordham St. — the day after Stanton’s 60th birthday.
Stanton, who has since retired and moved to Florida, handed the reigns over to Fred Ramftl, who will serve as the new acting president of the Civic until next year’s election in October of 2024.
Many Civic members and longtime residents can’t say enough about the impact that Stanton had on City Island throughout the years.
“Bill is the kind of neighbor who anybody would want to have living next to them — on both sides of you as well as across the street,” said Patrick Rocchio, a Civic member and lifelong City Island resident, who has attended CICA meeting for years. “He’s the type of person who would give you the shirt off his back.”
Cathy Cebek, a longtime CICA member who has also been on the executive board since 2019, noted the work that Stanton did to assist City Islanders during the COVID-19 pandemic — connecting with local restaurants including the City Island Diner, Scavello’s, Seafood City and the Original Crab Shanty, among other establishments on City Island, which provided meals that were delivered to resident’s homes.
“We had to be there for each other — especially during that time,” said Cebek. “That particular scenario really shows how a community can become united, especially in a time of crisis.”
According to Cebek, Stanton and the Civic Association also worked with council members Mark Gjonaj and Marjorie Velázquez, as well as American Legion Post 156 and other organizations to provide masks, hand sanitizers and other supplies throughout the pandemic, all a part of the City Island Strong partnership with local businesses, organizations and politicians. City Island seniors were also provided with vaccines.
“We may have different political views, believe in different religions, be of different nationalities, but we all have one thing in common — we all care about City Island and its residents,” said Cebek, referring to the diversity that makes up the Civic Association.
Gina Piri, who has known Stanton since childhood, said that his main focus and passion has always been City Island and keeping its residents safe.
“Stanton has just done a great job as head of the City Island Civic Association,” said Piri, a longtime City Island resident who grew up at 205 City Island Ave. “He just really cares about the community.”
Piri talked about the nostalgia of growing up on City Island, when City Island consisted of mostly residential homes and boatyards, before condos, when neighbors knocked on each other’s doors, the kids played outdoor sports on the street and where everybody knew everybody.
“He was a great leader and he has always had a big heart,” said Piri. “I’m sad to see him go — he will truly be missed. It’s unfortunate that things change, but he did a great job as president of the Civic and he should be applauded for his efforts.”
The CICA has worked to maintain a quality of life for City Island and East Bronx residents since 1950 by spreading awareness and information, functioning as activists to protect in interests of City Islanders, while also enabling residents to voice their concerns, according to Civic’s Facebook page.
In reflecting on his fifteen-year career as Civic president, Stanton said that felt that the position made him an overall better individual.
“I’m proud to have been chosen to take on this role — and I took it very, very seriously,” said Stanton. “I can truly say that this entire experience enriched me as a person.”
The CICA also hosts and sponsors Candidate Night, a public forum featuring the incumbent and other candidate for the Council District 13 seat every two years.
CICA meetings take place at 7:30 p.m. on the last Thursday of every month, with the exception of December, at the City Island Community Center located at 190 Fordham St.
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Reach Steven Goodstein at sgoodstein@schnepsmedia.com or (718) 260–8326. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @bronxtimes
