Ronald Rice
Ronald Rice | |
|---|---|
| Member of the New Jersey Senate from the 28th Legislative District | |
Incumbent | |
Assumed office December 4, 1986 | |
| Preceded by | John P. Caufield |
| Deputy Mayor of Newark | |
In office July 1, 2002 – March 2006 | |
| Member of the Newark Municipal Council | |
In office July 1, 1982 – July 1, 1998 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Ronald L. Rice (1945-12-18) December 18, 1945 Richmond, Virginia |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Residence | Newark, New Jersey |
| Alma mater | A.S. Essex County College (Police Science) B.S. John Jay College of Criminal Justice (Administration and Planning) Rutgers University (Criminal Justice) Rutgers School of Law–Newark |
| Occupation | Legislator |
| Website | Legislative web page |
Ronald L. Rice (born December 18, 1945) is an American Democratic Party politician who has served in the New Jersey State Senate since 1986, where he represents the 28th Legislative District. While serving in the Senate, Rice has held a variety of different leadership roles including Associate Minority Leader (1998-2001), Assistant Deputy Minority Leader (1994-1997), and Assistant Majority Leader (1990-1991).[1] His son, Ronald C. Rice, is a former city councilman in Newark, New Jersey. He is the fourth-most senior senator in the state, behind Richard Codey, Gerald Cardinale, and Raymond Lesniak.
Rice received an A.S. from Essex County College in Police Science, a B.S. from John Jay College of Criminal Justice in Administration and Planning and an M.A. from Rutgers University in Criminal Justice. He has also attended but never graduated from the Rutgers School of Law—Newark.[1] Rice served as a Sergeant in the U.S. Marines from 1966 to 1970.,[2] in the Vietnam War.[3]
Contents
1 Political career
1.1 District 28
1.2 2006 Mayoral bid
2 Election history
3 References
4 External links
Political career
Rice served 16 years on the Newark City Council (1982-1998), and he was the Deputy Mayor of Newark from 2002 until March 2006.[1] He stepped down as deputy mayor in order to run for mayor. During this time, dual office holding was not banned in New Jersey therefore he was able to serve on both the city council and in the State Senate at the same time.
Following the death of John P. Caufield in August 1986, Rice was elected in a special election to serve the 28th district and was seated on December 4, 1986. Rice never received less than two thirds of the vote in any of his Senate general elections, though he faced close challenges in the Democratic primaries from Laurence Brown in 1997, Assemblyman Willie B. Brown in 2001, and Freeholder D. Bilal Beasley in 2007.[4]
Rice serves in the Senate on the Community and Urban Affairs Committee (as Chair), the Joint Committee on the Public Schools and the Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee.[1] Rice was one of only two Democrats in the Senate to vote no on two bills to legalize same-sex marriage in New Jersey in 2009 and 2012, the other twice-dissenting Democrat was Jeff Van Drew.[5][6] Rice was also instrumental in the postponement of the vote on legalization of recreational marijuana, scheduled for March 26, 2019, despite over 60% of New Jersey residents supporting legalization.
Rice was one of New Jersey's presidential electors casting the state's Electoral College votes after the 2004 presidential election. New Jersey's electors cast their ballots on December 13, 2004 in the State House Annex in Trenton, where all 15 votes were cast for the Democratic Party candidate John Kerry.[7]
District 28
Each of the 40 districts in the New Jersey Legislature has one representative in the New Jersey Senate and two members in the New Jersey General Assembly. The other representatives from the 28th District for the 2018-2019 Legislative Session are:[8][9]
- Assemblyman Ralph R. Caputo
- Assemblywoman Cleopatra Tucker
2006 Mayoral bid
Rice had run for unsuccessfully for Mayor of Newark in 1998 being defeated by incumbent mayor (and future Senate colleague) Sharpe James.
On March 6, 2006, Rice entered the mayoral race again, noting "that Mayor James had encouraged him to run but noted that if the mayor decided to join the race, his candidacy could change.".[10] On March 27, 2006, James announced that he would not seek a sixth term, preferring to focus on his seat in the New Jersey Senate.[11]
On Election Day, May 9, 2006, Newark's nonpartisan election took place. Former City Councilman Cory Booker won with 72% of the vote, soundly defeating Rice, the runner-up, who received 23%.[12]
Election history
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Ronald L. Rice (incumbent) | 27,265 | 75.7 | |
Republican | Frank Contella | 8,744 | 24.3 | |
Democratic hold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Ronald L. Rice (incumbent) | 14,781 | 76.6 | |
Republican | Russell Mollica | 4,519 | 23.4 | |
Democratic hold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Ronald L. Rice (incumbent) | 12,821 | 77.0 | |
Republican | Herbert Glen | 3,838 | 23.0 | |
Democratic hold | ||||
References
^ abcd Senator Rice's legislative web page, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed April 14, 2008.
^ Manual of the Legislature of New Jersey - Two Hundred and Eleventh Legislature (First Session) (PDF). Skinder-Strauss Associates. 2004. pp. 236–237. Retrieved July 4, 2015..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/12px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}
^ Benson, Josh. "Who Is Ronald Rice Anyway?", The New York Times, April 23, 2006. Accessed November 4, 2018. "A Vietnam veteran and former Newark police officer, Mr. Rice has served for the past two decades as a public official in Trenton and Newark, and has long wanted to be mayor."
^ "NJ Election Information and Results Archive". Secretary of State of New Jersey. Retrieved July 4, 2015—1997, 2001, 2007
^ James, Davy. "Democrats Line Up the Votes to Pass Gay Marriage Bill". Patch. Retrieved July 4, 2015.In 2009, the only Republican to vote for the Freedom of Religion and Equality in Civil Marriage Act, as it was called, was Sen. Bill Baroni (Hamilton). ... Meanwhile, Democratic [Sen] Ronald Rice (Essex) voted against the bill.
^ Staff. "N.J. Senate approves bill legalizing gay marriage", The Star-Ledger, February 13, 2012. Accessed June 24, 2012. "Two Democrats, Sen. Ronald Rice (D-Essex) and Sen. Jeff Van Drew (D-Cape May), voted no."
^ 2004 Presidential Election: Electoral College Members, National Archives and Records Administration. Accessed July 10, 2007.
^ Legislative Roster 2018-2019 Session, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed February 18, 2018.
^ District 28 Legislators, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed February 18, 2018.
^ New York Times Metro Briefing - NEWARK: DEPUTY MAYOR ENTERS THE RACE The New York Times, March 6, 2006
^ Sharpe Drops Out: James cites only his position against holding dual offices NJ.com / Star-Ledger, March 28, 2006.
^ Elects Cory Booker to Be New Mayor: Newark Elects Cory Booker First New Mayor in Two Decades in Landslide Victory[permanent dead link], ABC News, May 9, 2006.
^ "Official List Candidates for State Senate For GENERAL ELECTION 11/05/2015 Election" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Jersey. December 4, 2013. Retrieved July 4, 2015.
^ Official List Candidate Returns for State Senate For November 2011 General Election, New Jersey Department of State, December 14, 2011. Accessed June 24, 2012.
^ Official List Candidate Returns for State Senate For November 2007 General Election, New Jersey Department of State, December 3, 2007. Accessed June 24, 2012.
External links
Senator Rice's legislative web page, New Jersey Legislature
New Jersey Legislature financial disclosure forms
2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004
New Jersey Senate | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by John P. Caufield | Member of the New Jersey Senate for the 28th District December 4, 1986 – present | Succeeded by Incumbent |
