Ruben Wills facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ruben Wills
Member of the New York City Council from the 28th district
In office January 1, 2011 – August 10, 2017
Preceded by	Thomas White Jr.
Succeeded by	Adrienne Adams
Personal details
Born	Ruben W. Mills (1971-08-09) August 9, 1971 (age 52)
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Marcia Thompson
Website	Official website: http://council.nyc.gov/d28/html/members/home.shtml

Ruben W. Wills (born August 9, 1971) is a former member of the New York City Council, serving the 28th district from 2011 until he was convicted of a felony in August 2017. After serving a 2 - 6-year prison sentence, the New York Supreme Court Appellate Division, Second Department, reversed Wills' convictions and ordered a new trial. On April 22, 2021, Ruben Wills was fully exonerated and the charges were dismissed with prejudice. He is a Democrat.

Life and career

Wills is African-American and was born in Southeast Queens. He was raised in the South Jamaica Houses and 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 also worked for the SEIU Local 1199 Union. Prior to working in government, Wills made his living operating a contracting company doing renovations for commercial and residential properties.

New York City Council

After losing the 2009 primary to Thomas White, Jr., Wills won the council seat for the 28th district in Southeast Queens the next year, after White died. He then won re-election in 2011 to complete the term, and again for his own full term in 2013. Wills renamed a street in his district in honor of White, thanks to the help of his surviving family.

..... He pumped gas for tips and slept in parks, relying on soup kitchens to stay fed. The week long experiment was cut short after Wills reportedly developed pneumonia and was temporarily hospitalized when the experience became hazardous to his health. Wills later cited this experience as his motivation to push Mayor Michael Bloomberg to expand rental subsidies stripped from the city budget in 2011.

In August 2013, Councilman Wills secured 4.4 million from 15.5 billion of NYC's capital budget and spent every dollar toward Education initiatives, making him the largest benefactor of schools in the borough.

In 2016, Councilman Wills also started a, first of its kind, New York City Council fund (13 million) that purchased distressed mortgages from local communities and renegotiated favorable  loan terms which allowed foreclosed residents to stay in their homes in efforts to prevent homelessness. During this same year, Mayor Bill de Blasio signed important legislation strengthening protections for freelance workers and praised Wills for his sponsorship of a bill strengthening voter protections for pre trial detainees and misdemeanor offenders who were currently incarcerated but still had the right to participate in elections.

Exoneration

Following Wills conviction, he was sentenced to two to six years in prison, fined $5,000, and ordered to make restitution of $32,874. Wills appealed the conviction and vehemently maintained his innocence. On August 12, 2019, Wills was released on parole.

On September 16, 2020, the New York Supreme Court Appellate Division, Second Department, reversed the convictions and ordered a new trial, stating:

“The record does not establish that the defendant was acting in bad faith in seeking to present the testimony of these witnesses at the trial,” the appellate court ruled. “The proposed testimony did not deal with a collateral issue, but, rather, went to the heart of the defendant's claim of right defense. Thus, it was error for the Supreme Court to have prospectively precluded the defendant's witnesses from testifying, and, under the facts of this case, that error cannot be deemed harmless.”

On April 22, 2021, the prosecution dismissed the charges.