City Hall suddenly stopped funding a popular job-skills program for young adults, and its director is now wondering if she’s the victim of a political vendetta by the councilwoman she tried to unseat in last year’s primary.
Kamillah Hanks had been getting city funding for her group, BUILD Staten Island, each year since its inception in 2015.
But last fall, Hanks ran against incumbent Staten Island Councilwoman Debi Rose, who happens to control the Council’s Youth Services Committee, which holds sway on funding for programs like BUILD.
Now, the $370,000 that had been earmarked for BUILD in the 2018-19 fiscal year — the same amount as for the two prior years — has mysteriously disappeared from the final budget, leaving Hanks asking if Rose is a sore winner.
“I tried calling her — Debi,” Hanks told The Post. “I e-mailed her, sent her text messages. I didn’t get an answer.
“I do get that to the victor go the spoils, and things change, but I’m not going down without a fight,” she added.
Hanks and Rose had locked horns throughout last year’s primary race for the northernmost of Staten Island’s three City Council districts.
At one point, Rose opened a campaign office just two doors away from Hanks’ offices for BUILD — filling the windows with large campaign posters.
After the primary, Hanks issued a statement accusing Rose of “unbecoming” behavior after Rose secretly taped her rival’s concession phone call, and then posted it on Facebook.
Rose cut Hanks short in the call, gloating, “I got a party to get to. Thank you so much, honey.”
The Staten Island BUILD program — which stands for “Building Urban Innovative Leadership & Development” — is modeled on the national YouthBuild USA program, and is a nine-month course that helps young men and women aged 18-24 get their high school equivalency diplomas and gain employment and community leadership skills.
“It changed my life tremendously,” said Davon Williams, 25, a former BUILD Staten Island student who graduated in June 2017.
“Before I went into the program I wasn’t working at all. Now I have two jobs,” Williams said.
The program has been praised by politicians including Republican Rep. Dan Donovan and Democrat state Sen. Diane Savino.
“Giving young adults tools to determine their future and achieve success is a cause we should all advocate for,” Donovan said when told of the budget cut. “Political games shouldn’t get in the way of empowering our next generation.”
Savino said she hopes “to see the program continue at its full strength.”
“It’s just completely ridiculous,” Hanks said. “We deserve it. Those kids deserve it, and ones coming in after them deserve it.”
Through a spokesman, Rose claimed: “Funding remains reserved for a Youth BUILD program on the North Shore of Staten Island, and allocation will be determined by the council in the near future.”
