It was May of 2008 and Staten Island’s congressman was standing in front of a podium apologizing.

"I apologize for the mistake I made,” he said. “I apologize for the error in judgment. I regret that what I did occurred."

That was 13 years ago right after Vito Fossella was caught drunk driving in Virginia. The crime exposed another scandal, he had a second family in Washington D.C. 

He left office soon after -- not seeking reelection under a cloud of controversy. Since then he hasn’t been a fixture in Republican politics. But that changed this year.

"We can't be thankful enough and grateful for the people of Staten Island to give me this opportunity. It's good to be back!” Fossella yelled Tuesday night. 

He has just won the seat of Staten Island borough president. 

"I saw a city that was spinning out of control. I saw crime that was on the rise. I saw homelessness that was being left unchecked," Fossella told NY1 on Thursday. 

The borough president-elect just finished meeting with the office’s current occupant to talk shop. 

They had coffee and cookies. 

They talked about how the office would transition. 

Fossella was not the party pick, but he prevailed in a tight contest against Councilman Steven Matteo during the primary. He easily won on Tuesday. He attributed that, in part, to his support from former President Donald Trump. 

"I thought it was very influential,” the borough president-elect said. “The president is still very popular here especially among primary Republican, conservative voters. He offered to do a robocall in the primary, which he did, he actually did two of them. He offered to do a robocall in the general election, which he did."

Ultimately, Fossella says he’s happy to be back. But really, he claims, he never left.