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Experience, Leadership, Progress
Community Roots, Shared Growth
When we place our community above all else, we see the fruits of that labor. Which is why we are seeing the largest decreases in violent crime in the history of our city. We did this through investments into our most struggling neighborhoods.
- Aggravated Assaults are down 21% (since 2017)
-Robberies are down 45% (since 2017)
Bill Rose attributes these results to investments in our neighborhoods, specifically areas hardest hit from deplenished neighborhoods, Covid 19, and the housing crisis of 2008. Check out what Bill has worked on in the last eight years (Click Here to watch a Video).
The Ninth Ward is seeing some intentional growth with small businesses and early signs of economic recovery. Shops are filling in at the Rockton Center, former businesses are being redeveloped into new ones, and small business owners are seeing that the Northwest End of town is seeing revitalization efforts through the following investments:
-Public Arts Installs on Rockton and Huffman
- Street fixes and investment - The largest investments in the city's history
- Small Business loans and grants
-Public Safety calls being reduced
Bill's Story
If you hadn't heard, Bill was arrested for DUI in 2021. While local news agencies sensationalized reports of the occurrence, Bill's story went untold.
On July 27th, 2021, Bill had taken a medication that interacted with a significant amount of alcohol. Bill took full responsibility for his inability to see that the medication and large consumption of alcohol, would result in confusing behavior. He plead guilty to the DUI and went above and beyond all requirements of the court.
Bill recognized days after his arrest, that he had an alcohol addiction problem. He aggressively sought help for his problem and never looked back.
Bill is now 3 years sober, living his best life, while working towards a doctoral degree in Education. He saw the errors in his actions and believes that he can be an example for people suffering with addiction. He hopes that he can be an example for others to turn their lives around, if they choose to do the hard work through addiction counseling, taking ownership of their addiction and maintaining sobriety.
Bill isn't defined by this moment either. Serving as a 15 year educator and someone who has dedicated countless hours as a member of the Historical Preservation Committee for 6 years, and the last two years sitting on the Rockford Area Arts Council, Bill is working to lift our community higher.
Every day is a challenge. Which is why Bill uses counseling, meditation, prayer, and family support to maintain his sobriety. These challenges to some might seem like a character flaw or a massive reason to not support Bill as a leader in our community.
However, Bill sees his addiction as a calling to advocate for addicts in work programs, counseling services, in our schools, and in our careers. He empathizes for those who have addiction issues and better understands how addiction has caused severe pain in our local community. Bill's ability to understand the challenges of addiction make him one of the most qualified leaders to bring about change in our region, especially with the overlap of mental health and addiction services that our community needs.
"If you understand addiction and how it works, you understand how we can fix major crime issues, familial problems, mental health issues, and increasing hospital and critical care to the Rockford region. I know this issue better than anyone, and am dedicating my service to my community because we will be stronger for it, for our kids. "
~Bill Rose
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