James Sanders Jr.
| James Sanders Jr. | |
|---|---|
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| Member of the New York State Senate from the 10th district |
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Assumed office January 1, 2013 |
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| Preceded by | Shirley Huntley |
| Member of the New York City Council from the 31st district | |
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In office January 1, 2002 – 2013 |
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| Preceded by | Juanita Watkins |
| Succeeded by | Donovan Richards |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
James Sanders Jr. 1957 (age 59–60) |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Andrea Stevenson-Sanders |
| Residence | New York City |
| Alma mater | Brooklyn College |
James Sanders Jr. (born 1957) is a member of the New York State Senate, serving since January 2013. He represents the 10th Senatorial District, which includes the Queens neighborhoods of Richmond Hill, South Ozone Park, Jamaica, Rochdale Village, Rosedale and parts of Far Rockaway.
Sanders was born at the Hammel Houses in Far Rockaway. He attended public schools throughout the Rockaways then attended Brooklyn College. As a former Marine, he was one of the few City Council members who had served in the armed forces.
Sanders won his seat in an underdog win against powerful candidates James Blake and Charlotte Jefferson. Blake had the support of incumbent councilwoman Juanita Watkins. In an upset Sanders managed to win election for the 31st Council Seat.
In 2002, Sanders was voted the first African-American to sit as Chair of the Economic Development Committee'.
In early 2007, Sanders endorsed then-Senator Barack Obama for President and traveled to Pennsylvania, Ohio, and South Carolina to campaign for him. He became an Obama delegate and represented his district at the Democratic National Convention in Denver.
In July 2009, Sanders was reported to have shown up for only 61% of City Council meetings for fiscal year 2009, the second-fewest on the list. However, he has attributed this to the near fatal car crash that he had in the fall of 2008 which also injured his staffers, Donovan Richards and Mike Duvall.
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