During her first two years in office, Rosie is proud of accomplishments such as these made toward her original council priorities:

• Preserving affordable housing for low and middle income New Yorkers by introducing the legislation necessary to renew rent regulations in New York City and other bills to prevent owners from evicting tenants under the false pretense of a building demolition, to require city agencies to publish material for renters in multiple languages, and requiring owners of large residential complexes to notify the city prior to sale. Rosie is also a passionate supporter of new legislation to strengthen tenants’ protections against harassment.
• Introducing legislation to provide legal assistance to low income seniors who are threatened with eviction or foreclosure.
• Improving local enforcement of zoning and building codes in order to preserve the mid-rise character of her district and to ensure the safety and peaceful occupancy of residents.
• Improving the quality of life for her constituents by cracking down on noisy bars and sidewalk cafes. With an unprecedented level of cooperation from the NYS Liquor Authority, Rosie, colleagues and community partners have made nightlife establishments more accountable to the community. Liquor licenses and sidewalk café permits, the latter of which require City Council review, are less routinely issued.
• Actively fighting for civil rights by defending members of the LBGT community from unlawful arrests and stopping overly restrictive proposed Police Department rules for parade permits.

Rosie's entire working and volunteer life has been dedicated to community service. She began as a tenant organizer, and then became a housing specialist at the Parodneck Foundation. In 1995 she graduated from law school and went to work as an IOLA Legal Services Fellow at Brooklyn Legal Services. As a legal staff worker she became a member of the United Auto Workers Union. Prior to her election to the Council, Rosie was the Democratic District Leader for her community and served as the Chief of Staff to her predecessor in the City Council.

A lifelong New Yorker, Rosie grew up in Williamsburg Houses, a NYC Housing Authority development. She is the child of native Puerto Ricans and attended New York City public schools through high school. She graduated from New York University and Rutgers Law School - Newark.

Entered City Council: 01/01/2006
Current Term Expires: 12/31/2009

Represents: Lower East Side, East Village, Gramercy Park, Rosehill, Kips Bay; southern part of Murry Hill

Committees: Public Housing (Chair); Health; Housing & Buildings; Land Use; Landmarks, Public Siting & Maritime Uses; Lower Manhattan Redevelopment