28th Legislative District

Senator Rice won his seat in a special election Nov. 18, 1986, for the unexpired term of the late John P. Caufield, who died on Aug. 24. Mr. Rice was sworn and took his seat Dec. 4, 1986. He was elected to a full term in 1987, and re-elected nine times.

Senator Rice has sponsored legislation in the areas of criminal justice, healthcare, affordable housing, tenant rights, employee rights and education.

The senator has been a Democratic County Committee member since 1976. He won the West Ward seat on the Newark City Council in 1982, and was re-elected in 1986, 1990 and 1994. In July 2002, he was appointed deputy mayor of Newark.

Senator Rice is a veteran of the Vietnam War, and holder of Presidential and Navy Unit Citations. He was in the Marine Corps from 1966 to 1970, and was honorably discharged with the rank of sergeant. He served in Vietnam in 1968 and 1969.

The senator’s background is in criminal justice administration and planning, law enforcement, and security. He received an associate’s degree in police science at Essex County Community College, a bachelor’s degree at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, New York, in 1976, and his master’s degree at the Rutgers University Graduate School of Criminal Justice in 1979. He also attended Rutgers University School of Law. He joined the Newark Police Department in 1972, and became a detective in 1974. He left the Police Department in 1980 to join the Public Service Electric & Gas Company as a member of the management team in the safety and security department. In 1982, Mr. Rice transferred to the Public Service community affairs management team. After his election to the Senate he resigned his position with the utility company, to devote full time to his legislative and municipal offices.

Mr. Rice’s wife is the former Shirley Nichols. He has two children, Ronald C. and Yuki, and one grandchild, Mia.