Wednesday's city-wide deadline to file petitions to become a candidate for elected office brought out three Democratic contenders looking to represent the 49th City Council District.

Democrat Debi Rose is ready for a rematch, making her case for City Council months before election day, gathering signatures to make sure she appears on the ballot in the Democratic Primary for the North Shore City Council seat come September.

"We're going to win this election because people are tired of the same old stuff," said Rose.

Back in February, Rose lost the special election to Ken Mitchell by just over 300 votes. At one time, she was one of nine candidates on the ballot for Michael McMahon's old seat, made possible when he was elected to Congress.

This time around, just three Democrats are hoping to make a bid for City Council -- Rose, Mitchell, and Rajiv Gowda. Gowda was tossed from the special election ballot because he didn't have enough signatures to qualify. Now, he says he's got more than the required 900 signature petitions and he fully expects to be on the primary ballot.

"There seems to be a lot of interest out there, so I'm not somebody who is going to give up," Gowda said. "If I was fighting for myself, I would have given up a long time ago."

For his part, Mitchell, McMahon's former chief of staff, has spared no expense in his bid to be reelected. Signs have been placed all over the North Shore, reminding voters of the race.

"I run my race the same way, whether it's two, three, four, five, six, seven," said City Councilman Ken Mitchell. "I run my race the same way, getting my message out to the voters and getting the people to the polls on election day."

So far, the Republican party has not named a candidate, and there are no plans for a primary. All the potential candidates agree Staten Island is a unique borough to run a campaign, and say getting an early start is crucial to victory.

"In the other districts in the city it's denser, so you can get to the population, you can get your message out easier in the other parts of the city," said Mitchell. "Staten Island, the 49th Council District, it's a large area and you gotta get your message out early."

After the petitions are submitted, Board of Elections commissioners will review them to make sure candidates have enough valid signatures to appear on the primary ballot. Those names are slated to be announced in August.