Saying that Mayor Bloomberg was “out of touch” with the needs of Staten Islanders, members of the City Council overrode a veto yesterday and enacted a law to increase Staten Island ferry service overnight and on weekends.

The override pits Mr. Bloomberg against the speaker of the City Council, Gifford Miller, a Democrat looking to unseat him, in a borough expected to be critical in November’s election.

“The mayor is simply out of touch with what the needs of Staten Island ferry riders and Staten Islanders in particular are on this subject,” Mr. Miller told reporters at City Hall in a mantra he uses for dozens of others subjects.

“People shouldn’t have to wait an hour in this city for transportation to get them home after work,” he said.

Mr. Bloomberg says the $5 million cost of the ferry service increase is too high and that mandating half-hour service during off-peak hours, up from every hour, is beyond the council’s power.

“Everyone wants more ferries; the problem is paying for them,” a spokesman for the mayor, Jordan Barowitz said. “The Speaker’s shameless pandering is matched only by his reckless spending.”

The mayor captured 77% of the Staten Island vote in the 2001 election, but his numbers suffered in the borough of homeowners when he pushed the council to adopt his 18.5% property tax increase.

Now, as Mr. Bloomberg tries to repair relations there (he made an appearance at the College of Staten Island last night), his opponents are trying to capitalize on his vulnerability.

Just this week, Mr. Miller met with the editorial board at the Staten Island Advance, the borough’s daily newspaper, and then held a news conference at the ferry terminal.

The council’s Republican Minority Leader, James Oddo, said yesterday that the mayor’s veto represented a “lack of awareness.”

“I think there’s a fundamental misunderstanding across the hall of what the Staten Island Ferry is,” said Mr. Oddo, whose relationship with the mayor has been strained. “This is not the ‘Love Boat;’ this is a vital transportation link.”

In more amicable business yesterday, the council rubber-stamped an agreement that it announced last week on a massive project to redevelop a 59-square-block section of Manhattan’s far West Side.

The deal, a compromise with the administration, paves the way for new high-rise offices, low-and-moderate income housing, parks, and the extension of the no. 7 subway line, which will get another mile of tunnel from Times Square to 11th Avenue. It does not provide any approvals for the proposed New York Jets stadium, the contentious centerpiece of the mayor’s plan to win the bid for the 2012 Olympics.

After months of negotiations, the two sides restructured the financing of the project, requiring the city to pay out more money up front and trim its future interest payments. Both sides have lauded the agreement, saying it will create jobs and turn the now-desolate area into a vibrant economic engine.

The changes are expected to save the city $1 billion, partly because the government will borrow $3 billion rather than the original $4 billion proposed and partly because, as revenue is generated, it will be used to pay down the principal. The city will make debt payments out of its operating budget starting next year.

Housing advocates have called it a victory because the council brokered an increase in the allotted “affordable” units and a decrease in allowable commercial office space. But not everyone was pleased with the deal.

Assemblyman Richard Gottfried, of Manhattan, said there was still too much commercial space.

“The density is much too excessive,” Mr. Gottfried told The New York Sun. “They knocked it down a little bit, but not by much.”

In its full meeting yesterday, the council also passed a package of legislation to strengthen oversight at daycare facilities throughout the city. The legislation was crafted in response to the death of 7-month-old Matthew Perilli, who suffocated in his crib at a Queens’ facility in August.

The city health commissioner, who supports the legislation, later revealed widespread problems with staffing, trainings, and inspection practices and has started revamping operations.

Matthew’s parents – Maria and Vincent Perilli, who are suing the city for $5 million – said yesterday it was “heartening to think that some good may come of Matthew’s death.”

“We pray that these reforms will prevent similar tragedies in the future. However, we urge the continued change and vigilance…”

Council Member Melinda Katz, who represents the district, said the legislation shores up the city’s failures by requiring the health department to post information about licenses and inspections online.

“This is a couple that did everything right,” she said. “It is a parent’s worst nightmare.”

The council also introduced legislation yesterday that requires the city to accelerate housing applications for people with HIV or AIDS and to improve living conditions in existing housing. In June, the council released a report that found that 73% of city-subsidized “emergency” housing for those with HIV or AIDS had been citied for violations and that 50% did not provide basic services like toilet paper, mattresses, and locks.