Seat D – Rosetta Bailey
By: Quezia Salgado
Running against two men, an attorney and a business manager, for the 1-year term Council Seat D, is the only woman in this year’s elections, Rosetta Bailey. Rosetta was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and attended Laroche College, graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Business. Bailey worked for PNC Bank for 26 years before deciding to move to Florida in 1999, and has been a resident of Boca for over 5 years.
Bailey affirms that, for her, running for city council has been one of her most memorable accomplishments. She admits it has been quite a challenge, but also an enjoyable journey. In contrast to her opponents, Rosetta says: “I’m not as politically inclined as the other candidates, but I will not comply; I stick to the truth and to my agenda.” Along those lines, Bailey believes one of her strongest traits, which makes her stand out among the other candidates, is transparency: “The people of Boca don’t know what is happening; there are over 85,000 people in this city, and only about 6,000 actually vote. I want to change that, and let people know that it is a privilege to vote; it is our right.” Bailey’s commitment to the truth and honesty is reflected in how people perceive her: “One of my neighbors wrote me an email saying: ‘Out of all the candidates, you’re the only one I trust,’ and I believe that as long as you stick to the truth no one can turn around and accuse you of lying. The truth cannot be altered; it can’t be changed, and that is what I run on.”
Rosetta emphasizes that as a member of city council she will work for the residents, “I don’t work for the council men and women next to me, who want me to vote their way; I work for the people of the city.” When a group of council members drafted an ordinance that would place limitations on how citizens use their First Amendment rights, Bailey decided it was time to get involved in city politics to make that known to residents and keep it from happening again. Another factor that strongly contributed to Rose’s decision to run for city council was that fact that, for the past 4 years she has been traveling the East coast of Florida as a consultant, doing presentations about Agenda 21, the Seven-50 movement, the Wildlands Project, among others, educating everyone who listens. During her travels, Rose has seen and spoken to people from all walks of life, and has truly been able to listen to the concerns of residents.
According to Bailey, what it all comes down to is making smart decisions that will benefit the city as a whole. As a member of the city council, Rosetta’s top priorities will be: maintaining transparency in every respect, finding out who truly benefits from all the development and construction happening downtown, maintaining Boca’s lifestyle as family-friendly, and finally bringing more awareness about the hardships suffered by service men and women, by creating a more welcoming environment in the city for them.
