Less than a month after winning a seven-way special election for the late Thomas White’s District 28 City Council seat, Ruben Wills hasn’t wasted any time getting to work.
The former staffer for Councilmember Leroy Comrie and State Senator Shirley Huntley knew he needed to jump right into his job as Councilmember – especially with so many issues affecting the community needing to be addressed right away.
“It’s been intense, the schedule is moving at 100 miles per hour,” said Wills, during a phone interview from his office on Monday, December 6.
During his campaign, Wills identified jobs and education as the two biggest issues affecting his community, and recent developments surrounding some schools in the area he represents has moved that issue to the top of his list.
In his district, Wills said that four schools – P.S. 30, P.S. 40, August Martin High School and Richmond Hill High School – are all facing possible phase-outs or closure by the city’s Department of Education (DOE) because of their low performances.
Wills expressed his disappointment regarding how the DOE was handling the process – not being up front enough with the elected officials who represent the area and parents and community residents about the plans for the schools.
“This administration has gone out of its way to block out parents,” Wills said.
Although he’s a freshman Councilmember, Wills said the transition has been pretty smooth. He said he’s been working with Council Speaker Christine Quinn and her staff to make sure he is up-to-date with everything and prepare him for the difficult budget negotiations the Council will engage in this year. Mayor Michael Bloomberg already made $1.6 billion in budget cuts, but additional cuts are going to have to be made to balance the budget this year.
“I think that he’s [Wills] going to be an excellent addition to the Council,” Comrie said. “He’s already worked on many of the major problems as an activist. He understands the process of government.”
One of the areas from the campaign that Wills wanted to build on immediately was bringing the entire district together and making sure they feel they are represented. Already, Wills said he is moving his district office to Sutphin Boulevard to make it more accessible for constituents who rely on the subway or bus lines for transportation. In addition, Wills is keeping his district office open until 8 p.m. three days a week and opening it on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
“It benefits everyone,” Wills said. “Whether you are going to work or coming home from work, I want people to be able to come to my office.”
