Ruben Wills
| Ruben Wills | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the New York City Council from the 28th District | |
|
Assumed office January 1, 2011 | |
| Preceded by | Thomas White, Jr. |
| Personal details | |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Marcia Thompson |
| Website | Official website |
Ruben Wills represents the 28th District on the New York City Council. He is a Democrat. The district includes portions of Jamaica, John F. Kennedy International Airport, Ozone Park, Richmond Hill, South Ozone Park and Springfield Gardens in Queens.
Life and career
Born in Southeast Queens and raised in the South Jamaica Houses, Wills attended Public School 40 and Thomas Edison High School. He and his wife, Marcia, are members of the St. Albans Congregational Church.
In 2003, Wills served as the special assistant to City Council Member Leroy Comrie, and later he served as chief of staff to State Senator Shirley Huntley. Wills has also worked for the SEIU Local 1199 Union.
New York City Council
After losing the 2009 primary to Thomas White, Jr., Wills won the council seat the next year, after White died. He won re-election in 2011 to complete the term, and again for his own full term in 2013.
Criminal charges
In March 2011, Wills responded to two arrest warrants for incidents that occurred over a decade earlier. The first warrant was issued in 1998 for an incident that occurred in 1996. In November 2011, he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor criminal mischief. Wills admitted to stealing items and damaging property in an incident that he called a business dispute. The conviction resulted in no jail time or probation, but Wills had to pay restitution totaling $3,000 and perform 3 days of community service.[1]
The second warrant was for not appearing on scheduled court date in 2002 for an arrest in Nassau County dating back to 2000. The charge was for operating an unlicensed construction business, also a misdemeanor.[2][3]
On May 7, 2014, Wills was arrested as part of a corruption investigation. The charges included multiple counts of fraud and grand larceny in connection with more than $30,000 in public funds that went missing from a charity he ran.[4][5]
On February 2, 2015 he was arrested again and charged with five felony counts of failing to disclose financial dealings on five separate disclosure reports filed with the city’s Conflicts of Interest Board between 2012 and 2014.[6]
The resolution of the cases from 2014 and 2015 has been delayed because Wills' lawyer was removed from the latter case due to a potential conflict of interest, and because of Wills' ongoing medical problems. Since his indictment in May 2014, Wills has also missed nearly half of his City Council meetings and hearings.[7]
| Election history | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Location | Year | Election | Results |
| NYC Council District 28 |
2009 | Democratic Primary | √ Thomas White, Jr. 32.14% Lynn Nunes 32.07% Allan Jennings 16.23% Ruben Wills 9.01% Robert A. Hogan 6.0% Stephen S. Jones 4.56% |
| NYC Council District 28 |
2009 | General | √ Thomas White, Jr. (D) 88.71% Ruben Wills (Conservative) 11.26% |
| NYC Council District 28 |
2010 | Special | √ Ruben Wills 35.69% Nicole Paultre Bell 29.16% Allan Jennings 11.30% Albert Baldeo 9.73% Charles A. Bilal 8.34% Harpreet Singh Toor 3.64% Martha Taylor Butler 2.15% |
| NYC Council District 28 |
2011 | Democratic Primary | √ Ruben Wills 67.97% Allan Jennings 17.32% Michael Duvalle 9.70% Clifton Stanley Diaz 5.01% |
| NYC Council District 28 |
2011 | General | √ Ruben Wills (D) 92.43% |
| NYC Council District 28 |
2013 | Democratic Primary | √ Ruben Wills 48.90% Hettie V. Powell 32.97% Eugene Walter Evans 10.37% David Kayode 7.77% |
| NYC Council District 28 |
2013 | General | √ Ruben Wills (D) 95.23 Mireille Leroy (Unity) 4.64% |
References
- ↑ Grace, Melissa (November 10, 2011). "Queens City Councilman Ruben Wills Pleads Guilty to Old Charges, "Community Service" in His Future". New York Daily News. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
- ↑ Smith, Greg B. (March 20, 2011). "Queens city councilman Ruben Wills acknowledges outstanding arrest warrants". New York Daily News. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
- ↑ Hernández, Javier C. (March 21, 2011). "2 Decade-Old Arrest Warrants for Queens Councilman". New York Times. p. A19. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
- ↑ Grynbaum, Michael M.; Santora, Marc (May 8, 2014). "Councilman Is Accused of Stealing Public Funds". New York Times. p. A21. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
- ↑ Lovett, Ken (May 7, 2014). "NYC Councilman Ruben Wills Arrested by State Attorney General's Office". nydailynews.com. New York Daily News. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
- ↑ Stewart, Nikita (February 3, 2015). "New York City Councilman Arrested on Corruption Charges". New York Times.
- ↑ Gross, Courtney (February 15, 2016). "Queens Councilman, Facing Criminal Charges — Doesn't Show up in Court — Or at City Hall". ny1.com. Time Warner Cable News - NY1. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
External links
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Thomas White, Jr. |
New York City Council, 28th District 2010–present |
Incumbent |
