Jessica Ramos, a mayoral candidate, wants to oversee the city’s $112 billion budget, but according to The Post, she hasn’t been able to organize her finances and has defaulted on around $80,000 in student loans.
Ramos, a state senator from the borough, defaulted on two loans, one for $35,757.21 and the other for $42,550.25, according to two documents in the Queens State Supreme Court dated 2019.
She told The Post, “I’m part of the generation that is saddled with student debt,” indicating that she still owes $78,307.46 in total debts six years later.
The default judgments were filed the year after Ramos was elected to the state Senate, and Melfy Londono, the candidate’s mother, is named as a co-plaintiff.
“No part of said sum has been paid although duly demanded,” according to court documents filed in both lawsuits by attorneys Forster & Garbus on behalf of the student loan lender.
Ramos’s debt is a concern for her campaign, according to several of her fellow Democrats.
Frank Seddio, the former leader of the Brooklyn Democratic Party who is supporting Andrew Cuomo for mayor, stated, “It hurts her candidacy.”
Regarding her unpaid, defaulted school loans, he stated, “That’s definitely an indication of her ability to manage costs and expenses of the city.”
“She can’t manage her own debt. She’s going to manage the city’s?”
Ramos’s campaign has spent $231,253 and raised $232, 292 in private donations. She is not yet eligible for public matching money for the Democratic primary on June 24.
Her support is in the single digits, according to polling for the Democratic primary for mayor.
Ramos, 39, who has two school-age sons and attended Hofstra University, said her loan debt represents the challenges faced by New Yorkers with limited resources who are trying to support a family and pay for college.
“Like millions in my generation, I faced the impossible choice between financial survival and student-loan payments,” Ramos stated.
“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.”
Ramos, who was once an aide to former Mayor Bill de Blasio in City Hall, was first elected to the state Senate in 2019 and currently serves as head of its Labor Committee. She is a Hispanic immigrant’s first-generation daughter.
Ramos brought up her student loan issue at a recent Post editorial board meeting.
“I’m part of the generation that is saddled with student debt. That is my reality,” Ramos stated.
Last Monday, the US Department of Education declared that it will start collecting student loan debt again the next month, including by taking the defaulting borrowers’ paychecks.
Resuming on May 5, collections, which have been suspended since March 2020, are anticipated to affect around 5.3 million borrowers who are now behind on their federal student loans.
In a statement, Education Secretary Linda McMahon declared that “American taxpayers will no longer be forced to serve as collateral for irresponsible student loan policies.”
Former President Joe Biden’s attempts to forgive billions of dollars in student loan debt were questioned by the education secretary. Federal courts blocked a number of Biden’s initiatives.
