Ruben Wills is a Councilman representing the New York City Council

New York City Council

The New York City Council is the lawmaking body of the City of New York. It has 51 members from 51 council districts throughout the five boroughs. The Council serves as a check against the mayor in a "strong" mayor-council government model. The council monitors performance of city agencies and...

's 28th District, covering the Richmond Hill

Richmond Hill, Queens

Richmond Hill is a neighborhood in central-southern Queens, New York City, USA. It is bordered by Kew Gardens to the north, Woodhaven and Ozone Park to the west, South Ozone Park to the south and South Jamaica to the east...

 and Jamaica

Jamaica, Queens

Jamaica is a neighborhood in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York, United States. It was settled under Dutch rule in 1656 in New Netherland as Rustdorp. Under British rule, the Village of Jamaica became the center of the "Town of Jamaica"...

 sections of Queens

Queens

Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....

. Wills has also worked for the SEIU Local 1199 Union, as well as under councilman Leroy Comrie

Leroy Comrie

Leroy Comrie represents the New York City Council District 27, which comprises St. Albans, Cambria Heights, Jamaica, Hollis, Rosedale, and other neighborhoods within the borough of Queens....

. After losing the 2009 primary to Thomas White, Jr.

Thomas White, Jr.

Thomas White, Jr. was a member of the New York City Council from Queens. A Democrat, he represented the 28th Council District, which includes the neighborhoods of Jamaica, South Jamaica, and Richmond Hill....

, Wills won the seat the very next year after White died.

Early life and education

Born in Southeast Queens and raised in the South Jamaica Houses, Council Member Wills attended Public School 40 and Thomas Edison High School. He and his wife, Marcia, are members of St. Alban’s Congregational Church.

Background

In 2003, Council Member Wills served as the special assistant to City Council Member Leroy Comrie.. Later he served as chief of staff to State Senator Shirley Huntley.

Arrest Warrants and Conviction

In March of 2011 City Councilman Wills responded to two arrest warrants

Arrest warrant

An arrest warrant is a warrant issued by and on behalf of the state, which authorizes the arrest and detention of an individual.-Canada:Arrest warrants are issued by a judge or justice of the peace under the Criminal Code of Canada....

 for incidents that occurred over 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

Mischief

Mischief is a vexatious or annoying action, or, conduct or activity that playfully causes petty annoyance. Young children, when they hear of mischief, think of practical jokes....

 for that incident. Wills admitted to stealing items and damaging property from the incident that he referred to as a business dispute. The conviction will result in no jail time or probation if Wills pays restitution

Restitution

The law of restitution is the law of gains-based recovery. It is to be contrasted with the law of compensation, which is the law of loss-based recovery. Obligations to make restitution and obligations to pay compensation are each a type of legal response to events in the real world. When a court...

 and performs 3 days of community service. The second warrant was for not appearing on scheduled court date in 2002 for an arrest in Nassau County

Nassau County, New York

Nassau County is a suburban county on Long Island, east of New York City in the U.S. state of New York, within the New York Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,339,532...

dating back to 2000. This was for operating an unlicensed construction business.