Jessica Ramos wants to oversee NYC's $112 billion budget — but defaults on $80K in student loans
Mayoral candidate Jessica Ramos wants to manage the city's $112 billion budget, but she's failed to get her own fiscal house in order — defaulting on nearly $80,000 in student loans, The Post has learned.
Two filings in Queens state supreme court from 2019 show that Ramos, a state senator from the borough, defaulted on a pair of loans: one for $35,757.21 and the other for $42,550.25.
3 Ramos, 39, said her loan debt symbolizes the problems facing New Yorkers of modest means struggling to afford a college education and supporting a family.
Brian Zak/NY Post
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Six years later, she apparently still owes the $78,307.46 in combined loans — with her telling The Post, 'I'm part of the generation that is saddled with student debt.'
The candidate's mother, Melfy Londono, is listed as a co-plaintiff on the default judgments, which were filed the year after Ramos became a state senator.
In both cases, court papers filed by lawyers Forster & Garbus on behalf of the student-loan lender said, 'No part of said sum has been paid although duly demanded.'
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Even some of Ramos's fellow Democrats said her financial debt is a problem for her campaign.
'It hurts her candidacy,' said Frank Seddio, the former Brooklyn Democratic Party leader who is backing Andrew Cuomo for mayor.
'That's certainly an indication of her ability to manage costs and expenses of the city,' he said of her outstanding defaulted student loans.
'She can't manage her own debt. She's going to manage the city's?'
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3 Frank Seddio, the former Brooklyn Democratic Party leader, said Ramos's financial debt is a problem for her campaign.
William C Lopez/New York Post
Ramos's campaign has raised $232, 292 in private funds and spent $231,253. She has yet to qualify for public matching funds for the June 24 Democratic primary.
Polling for the Democratic primary for mayor shows her with single-digit support.
Ramos, 39, who attended Hofstra University and has two school-age sons, said her loan debt symbolizes the problems facing New Yorkers of modest means struggling to afford a college education and supporting a family.
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'Like millions in my generation, I faced the impossible choice between financial survival and student-loan payments,' Ramos told The Post.
'I prioritized building a safe, stable life for my family. This experience only deepens my commitment to fighting for a fairer economy where people aren't punished for seeking an education.'
First elected to the state Senate in 2019, Ramos is chairwoman of its Labor Committee and previously served as a City Hall aide to former Mayor Bill de Blasio. She is the first-generation daughter of Hispanic immigrants.
During a recent Post editorial board meeting, Ramos referenced her student-loan debt.
'I'm part of the generation that is saddled with student debt. That is my reality,' Ramos said.
3 Ramos attended Hofstra University and has two school-age sons.
Newsday via Getty Images
The US Department of Education announced last week that it will resume collections on student-loan debt next month, including by garnishing the wages of borrowers in default.
Collections, which have been paused since March 2020, will resume May 5 and are expected to impact roughly 5.3 million borrowers currently in default on their federal student loans.
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'American taxpayers will no longer be forced to serve as collateral for irresponsible student loan policies,' Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in a statement.
The education secretary criticized former President Joe Biden's efforts to cancel billions of dollars in student-loan debt. Several of Biden's efforts were blocked by federal courts.
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