Meet Debi Rose
Deborah "Debi" Rose is a is a 2nd generation
Staten Islander native who has devoted the last twenty-eight years to the
betterment of the North Shore community. In a wide range of elected and
volunteer positions, she has proven herself an effective advocate for all of
the North Shore on issues ranging from public health, education, seniors, and
youth, to concerns about the environment, economic development, and housing.
Activist
Debi has been a member of Community Board #1 on the North
Shore of Staten Island for the past twenty years and in a number of other roles
including Second Vice-President and Chair of Youth Services and Areas
Committee. Debi has become familiar with all the North Shore neighborhoods and
gained a reputation as a diplomatic advocate for the issues that concern us.
She has learned and mastered the complex City land use and budgetary procedures
that are the primary responsibility of the City Council. She was the chair of
the committee to rename and dedicate Route 440 North as the Dr. Martin Luther
King Jr., Expressway. She served as Co-Chair of the Borough President's Census
2000 Advisory Board to insure a complete count of all Staten Island residents.
She has been an opponent of building a bus garage in West Brighton and the
opening of a coal port in Mariners Harbor. She voted against the closing of
Bayley Seton Hospital's Emergency Room and other major Health Services.
Educator
Debi Rose is a leader on education issues, both in elective
office and in her professional career. A successful candidacy for a seat on the
school board in 1996 gave her the means to monitor the disbursement of school
board funds. She fought diligently for a new school for the North Shore and
petitioned the Chancellor for a fair and equitable admission policy for the
Michael Petrides School. As chair of the Exceptional Children's Committee, she
helped win the placement of the first Handicapped Hearing and Visually Impaired
evaluation unit on Staten Island. She has been the Executive Director for 11
years of the Liberty Partnerships Program at the College of Staten Island, a
state-funded drop-out prevention program. As Director she has navigated over
1600 intermediate and high school "at risk" students through to graduation,
providing tutoring, counseling, and mentoring services, advocating for parental
involvement and building public and private partnerships. Under her direction,
the program has achieved an 89% graduation rate.
Champion for Youth
In a variety of community projects, Ms. Rose has
demonstrated concern for the Island's youth. For 11 years she was a member of
the Community Board #1's Youth Service Planning Committee evaluating and
approving many services for North Shore youth. She was also the chairperson for
Education and Youth Committee of the NY Urban League - Staten Island Branch.
She sits on the Governance Board and Bylaws Committee for an outstanding youth
initiative, You Participate in Solutions. As the longest-serving president of
the National Council of Negro Women, Inc., Debi started the Evelyn Marshall
Scholarship Fund, which awards scholarships annually to two students of The
College of Staten Island. She is chairperson for the Staten Island Community
Residential Center of NYS Division for Youth, a facility that prepares
teenagers and young incarcerated women for re-entry into the community. As a
board member of the Mental Health Society she has successfully lobbied for 80
additional Project Head Start seats for the New Brighton community.
Advocate for a Healthier Island
For Debi, health and mental health issues are extremely
important. As a member of the Staten Island Mental Health Society, she
advocates for the mentally and developmentally disabled. An active member of
the American Cancer Society - Womens Breast Partnership, she founded the Staten
Island Black Womens Health Initiative, a resource service that informs and
advises the community on breast cancer and the free services available to
women.
Proven Vote-Getter
Debi Rose can win elections. She has already been elected
twice by Staten Islanders. In the 2000 Presidential primary election she proved
this again as the top vote getter when she won a position as a delegate to the
Democratic National Convention. In 1996 she won election to Community School
Board #31 with the highest first place total of any candidate. Her work on
various financial committees and planning boards has given her the experience
she needs to be a wise steward of public funds. With her reputation as a
problem solver and her extensive knowledge of the issues facing the North
Shore, she has proven herself to be the best voice for the North Shore
Community on the City Council. |
