NYC Council blocks former pol Debi Rose from Board of Elections post at behest of council member | #citycouncil

Metro

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By Carl Campanile

August 6, 2023 | 4:01pm

The City Council is blocking one of its own from serving as a Board of Elections commissioner amid a bitter dispute among Staten Island Democrats, The Post has learned.

Council Democrats rejected former councilwoman Debi Rose — the first black person on Staten Island elected to public office — from serving on the elections board at the behest of her successor, Councilwoman Kamillah Hanks.

Staten Island Democratic Party chair Laura Sword likened Hanks’ action to then-Senate GOP Majority Leader Mitch McConnell‘s denial of a vote on former President Barack Obama’s US Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland.

The local party nominated Rose, 71, who previously worked at the College of Staten Island before her 2009 Council election, and who had long been active in community affairs.

But they had to win the support of Hanks — the sole Democrat from Staten Island on the Council, who also is black.

In 2017, Hanks had challenged then-incumbent Rose in a spirited primary for the borough’s North Shore Council seat.

Rose prevailed, and then humiliated Hanks by putting her private concession call on speaker phone at her victory party — posted on Spectrum News.

Rose was term-limited and Hanks won the race to succeed her in 2021.

When the Council refused to take up Rose’s nomination for a vote, the Staten Island Democratic Party, led by Laura Sword, sued to force a vote.

The party initially nominated Priscilla Marco to fill the spot, but withdrew her name for lack of support before recommending Rose to the elections board.

Staten Island Democratic Party lawyer Jerry Goldfeder claimed election law and court decisions “do not permit the Council to refuse to act in deference to a lone Council Member, as apparently is occurring here.”

“The Council cannot simply sit on its hands and force [Staten Island Democratic Party] to make another choice for its designated commissioner, which would be its third nominee.

The law does not contemplate this kind of gamesmanship,” Goldfeder said in court papers.

Hanks defended the Council’s rejection of Rose.

“There were conversations before the submission of Ms. Rose’s name,” Hanks said Sunday. “Against the advice of my colleagues in government and party leadership, Chair Sword proceeded to nominate Ms. Rose. I expressed my interest in having an attorney as the Board of Elections Commissioner.”

The Council leadership defended its action to block Rose.

The Council’s lawyer, Kendra Elise Riddelberger, said in response to the suit, “The judiciary should not interfere with the legislature’s discretion in discharging its constitutional and statutory functions.”

A judge sided with the Council.

“The court finds that respondent [the Council] has the authority to appoint the nominee, but
not the duty to appoint this particular nominee. Additionally, respondent has the authority not to appoint the nominee, which is what it chose to do in this matter by not voting on the nominee,” Manhattan state Supreme Court Judge Erika Edwards said in her July 27 ruling.

Sword, the Staten Island Democratic Party chair, said she would abide by the ruling and submit another candidate to the elections board — but not before ripping into Hanks.

“This holding means that much like when Mitch McConnell denied President Obama’s selection of Merrick Garland and the Senate couldn’t be forced to hold a confirmation hearing, the Council can continue to block the rightful selection of our party,” Short said in a note to Democratic Party committee members.

“We need to nominate someone else. We are incredibly grateful to former Council member Debi Rose for her willingness to serve and are greatly disappointed that her nomination — a nomination by a vote of this committee — was blocked by a single person. She would have made an ideal commissioner and after years of service to Staten Island, she deserved better treatment than to simply have her nomination simply ignored.”

Rose declined to comment.

Rose’s 2009 campaign was investigated over services provided by the Working Families Party.