CITY HALL -- One hundreds days into his first year serving the 11th Congressional District, Rep. Max Rose says he will not let the “perpetual campaign” cycle or party politics distract him from getting things done for his constituents.

He described himself as a “pro-growth Democrat” and capitalist who is willing to work across the aisle, even with President Donald Trump, if it means getting things done on projects like infrastructure.

“I’m going to continue to do the right thing, I’m going to continue to ignore party [politics] and say what I believe, call out bull**** on either side and fight for people here as it pertains to their serious issues that they’re facing day to day,” Rose said during an editorial board meeting with the Advance.

Although it has only been 100 days since the freshman congressman took office, a political campaign has already started to take shape in the 11th Congressional District.

Days after Rose was sworn in, Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis (R-East Shore/South Brooklyn) filed with the Federal Election Commission and announced her 2020 run for Congress shortly after.

Former Rep. Michael Grimm also expressed interest in getting his old seat back before Rose was sworn in and is now actively pursuing a 2020 bid, and there is also interest from Councilman Joe Borelli (R-South Shore).

But Rose vowed to not let their efforts distract him and said he was disappointed that elected officials like himself have now become subjected to a constant campaign cycle.

“The perpetual campaign is corrosive, it is very corrosive and we are seeing this on the ground here,” he said. “What I am keen on doing though, is not letting a campaign disrupt my effort to do the right thing and govern. I’m not letting the threat of a primary do that either, I sincerely believe that we have actually got to focus on trying to help people … we have to do that despite these pressures, despite the tweets, despite the fundraising, despite all of this because the pressure’s there.”

SWORN IN DURING SHUTDOWN

Rose was sworn in during a partial government shutdown, which he said brought out the “worst” in Washington, D.C. lawmakers.

Therefore, the first half of his 100 days in office was marked by working to end the government shutdown.

During that time, he proposed legislation to withhold pay for elected officials during shutdowns, donated his salary to local Coast Guard families and organized a cleanup at Gateway National Park and a gift card drive for the Island Coast Guard community.

Rose said he wants to continue to have an on-the-ground approach toward politics and not just meet constituents at town hall or civic association meetings, but knock on their doors and meet them at the supermarket or soccer games and do things for them like getting Miller Field open on time for the start of the soccer season.

HIS LEGISLATION

One of the congressman’s first pieces of legislation was signed into law by the president allowing for the construction of the East Shore Seawall.

The Natural Resources Management Act included Rose’s legislation, which provides needed access for New York City and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to federal land -- Miller Field -- for the construction of the seawall.

The project is one of the most significant and costly measures aimed at protecting the borough from future storms.

On issues like infrastructure funding at the federal level, on the Democratic side, Rose said that sometimes lawmakers need to be willing to “give the president a win” to make progress.

“The majority of the Democratic party right now 19 months before a presidential election is unwilling to give the president of the United States a win because we want a better chance at beating him in 2020,” he said. “Then we’re not going to pass infrastructure, there’s no way we can do something good for the country without the president looking good. We have to stop just thinking about the next election, two years is never far away.”

Moving past the 100-day mark, Rose said he plans to lead an effort in Congress to put sanctions on China for its shipment of fentanyl into the district and also push for and fight the opioid epidemic the way the HIV/AIDS epidemic was fought.

He said that for a while at the federal and local levels, governments moved too slow on fighting the opioid crisis. He said he was hopeful that Staten Island could be used as a model to overcome the epidemic.

“If a gang or a virus, or a terrorist organization killed 70,000 Americans...we would be doing a lot more than we’re doing right now [on opioids]," Rose said.

"This community right here, this borough, can be the story for how we overcome it,” he said.

Rose is also leading an effort to get the 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund fully funded, and said he has been successful in getting members of congress on board in supporting his efforts.

“We’ve been able to accomplish an incredible amount in our first 100 days in a divided government in a time where every day there is some type of distraction intentional or otherwise,” Rose said. “But the north star is focusing on things that matter to people."

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