Israel Ruiz Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Member of theNew York City Council from the14th district | |
| In office 1992–1997 | |
| Succeeded by | Adolfo Carrión Jr. |
| Member of theNew York State Senate from the32nd district | |
| In office 1983–1989 | |
| Preceded by | Joseph L. Galiber |
| Succeeded by | Efrain Gonzalez Jr. |
| Member of theNew York State Senate from the31st district | |
| In office 1975–1982 | |
| Preceded by | Harrison J. Goldin |
| Succeeded by | Joseph L. Galiber |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1943-07-10)July 10, 1943 (age 82) |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Education | Queens College (BA) Columbia Law School (JD) |
Israel Ruiz Jr. (born July 10, 1943) is an American attorney and politician fromNew York who served as a member of theNew York State Senate andNew York City Council.
He was born on July 10, 1943, inCabo Rojo,Puerto Rico. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree fromQueens College in 1968, and aJuris Doctor fromColumbia Law School in 1972.[1]
He was a member of theNew York State Senate from 1975 to 1989, sitting in the181st,182nd,183rd,184th,185th,186th,187th and188th New York State Legislatures. In 1985, he ran in the Democratic primary forPresident of the New York City Council, but was defeated byAndrew Stein,[2] coming in third among six candidates.[3]
On August 23, 1988, Ruiz was indicted forfraud andperjury. He was accused of funneling part of the money received from the State by a non-profit organization into his own pockets, and of lying to a bank while asking for a personal loan.[4] On November 8, he was re-elected to the State Senate.[5] His trial began on January 19, 1989, in theUnited States District Court for the Southern District of New York. On February 3, 1989, he was convicted of filing a false loan application statement, but was acquitted of the perjury charges.[6]
Controversy arose again whether the conviction would vacate the State Senate seat automatically, or whether the seat would be vacated only after sentencing, or not at all. State law expressly states that the seat is vacated upon conviction for a felony. Previously it was assumed that the seat would be vacated automatically only in case of conviction in a State court, but would be vacated in case of conviction in a federal court only at sentencing. Also, the crime of which Ruiz was convicted is classified under federal law as afelony, but under State law only as amisdemeanor. On February 10, Attorney GeneralRobert Abrams ruled that Ruiz's seat was vacant and ordered to withhold the payment of Ruiz's State Senate salary. Abrams cited a decision of October 1988 by theNew York Court of Appeals which ruled that any federal felony conviction also automatically vacates a seat in the State Legislature.[7] Nevertheless, Ruiz hung on to his seat, but refrained from voting in the Senate. On May 10, Ruiz was sentenced by JudgePeter K. Leisure to six months in jail.[8]
On May 26, Temporary President of the State SenateRalph J. Marino announced that he would file a statement with GovernorMario Cuomo that the seat formerly occupied by Ruiz was now vacant.[9] On June 9, Governor Cuomo called a special election to fill the vacancy.[10] Ruiz tried to run in the Democratic primary for his former seat, but was barred by theNew York Supreme Court, Appellate Division, ruling that an expelled member may not run for the same term in office again.[11] On August 31, the Appellate Division's decision was upheld by the Court of Appeals.[12]
In 1991, Ruiz entered the Democratic primary for the14th district of theNew York City Council. Soon after the election, Ruiz was believed to have narrowly defeated Sandra Ramos-Alamo, but two weeks later, on September 25, the official result was announced: Ruiz was defeated with a margin of 23 votes by Ramos-Alamo[13] On October 8, the primary election was voided, and a new election was ordered.[14] On October 22, Ruiz defeated Ramos-Alamo,[15] and in November was elected to the City Council. He remained in the City Council until 1997. In September 1997, Ruiz challenged the incumbent Borough President of the BronxFernando Ferrer in the Democratic primary, but was defeated.
| New York State Senate | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | New York State Senate 31st district 1975–1982 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | New York State Senate 32nd district 1983–1989 | Succeeded by |
| New York City Council | ||
| Preceded by | New York City Council 14th district 1992–1997 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
