
GENERAL ELECTION RESULTS
Take a look at all the latest results for the November 5, 2002 general
election.
x-Ruth H. Thompson (Dem) 37,452 - 94 percent
George E. Rubin (Rep) 2,528 - 6 percent
Candidates:
- Ruth Hassell-Thompson (Dem) Incumbent
- George Rubin (Rep/Con)
BIOGRAPHIES
Senator Ruth Hassell-Thompson (Dem) was first elected to
the New York State Senate in 2000. In 1993, Ms.
Hassell-Thompson was elected to the Mount Vernon City
Council, serving as Council President and Acting Mayor. In
addition, she was vice chairperson of the Urban Renewal
Board; a voting member of the Board of Estimate; vice
chairperson of the Real Estate Board and Chairperson of the
Capital Projects Board. She currently serves as
President/CEO of "The Gathering," a volunteer-staffed
women's center in Mt. Vernon that provides counseling and
support services to women. In addition, Hassell-Thompson is
a health director for the Mt. Vernon Neighborhood Health
Center's Ryan White Title I Project. Hassell-Thompson also
serves as a consultant to the National Office Managers and
Comptrollers Association (NOMCA), an automobile
dealership/industry organization responsible for promoting
special projects for the firm. Hassell-Thompsons current
standing committees are: Consumer Protection (Ranking
Minority); Alcoholism and Drug Abuse; Civil Service and
Pensions; Labor; Social Services; Tourism, Recreation and
Sports Development; Transportation.

7 BILLS IMPORTANT TO NEW YORK CITY RESIDENTS THAT YOUR STATE REPRESENTATIVE IS LIKELY TO VOTE ON IN THE NEXT TERM:
1. Rent Regulation: The current rent regulation laws expire in June 2003. Supporters of rent regulation hope that the current provisions will be extended for another five years and that the legislature will repeal the provision which deregulates apartments that rent for $2,000 or more a month. The State Assembly passed such a bill this year, but it died in the Senate in the face of opposition from Majority Leader Joseph Bruno. If the Legislature does not take concerted action in June, rent regulation in New York City will end.
2. Commuter Tax: In 1999, when the State Legislature repealed the Commuter Tax, the city's economy was good. Reinstatement of the Commuter Tax is likely to come up again this Spring as the City's economy takes a turn for the worse.
3. School Funding: Even with mayoral control of the school system, more than 40 percent of New York City's school funding comes from Albany. Next year's budget will determine how much money New York City's schools will get from the state.
4. Rockefeller drug laws: New York's drug laws, passed in 1973 by Governor Nelson Rockefeller, are among the harshest in the nation. The Democratic-controlled Assembly, Republican-controlled Senate, and the Governor have not been able to agree on how to reform these laws, look for renewed negotiations and new legislation in the next term.
5. Minimum Wage: Currently set at $5.15 an hour, Democrats will likely propose raising the minimum wage to $6.75 an hour, a proposal that failed last year.
6. Sexual Orientation Non Discrimination Act: This has been floating around the New York State Legislature for 30 years, with the Governor's support, it is likely to come up for a vote again next Spring.
7. Campaign Finance Reform: Some 80 organizations have proposed a "Clean Money, Clean Elections" bill for the New York State Legislature. Like the New York City law, it would establish a system under which candidates who comply with limits on campaign spending and contributions would receive public funds for their political campaigns.
PRIMARY ELECTION - SEPTEMBER 10, 2002
Candidates:
- Ruth Hassell-Thompson (Dem) Incumbent
- George Rubin (Rep/Con)
- Lawrence Warden

August
12, 2002
Strolling through the Edenwald Playground in
the Bronx during a neighborhood old-timers' day celebration
on Saturday, Ruth Hassell-Thompson, a state senator facing a
tough re-election battle, passed out business cards instead
of campaign literature.
(New York Times)
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