### Staten Island and Brooklyn deserve a State Senator who stands with families, protects neighborhoods, and keeps our communities affordable.
Ruslan Shamal came to America alone from Belarus, a communist country with little more than the belief that hard work should matter. He started at the bottom, working blue-collar jobs, built a small business, and earned the trust of thousands of listeners as a longtime radio host.

Ruslan Shamal for NYS Senate – Russ for Us

When his daughter was born, Ruslan chose Staten Island for the same reason so many families do: stability, safety, and community. Today, he lives in Staten Island, works in Brooklyn, and understands firsthand the challenges facing both sides of the district.

Ruslan Shamal came to the United States from Belarus. He lives in Staten Island and has a daughter.

Ruslan Shamal is originally from Belarus. He lives in Staten Island and has one child. 

Ruslan Shamal has worked blue-collar jobs, built a small business, and worked as a radio host.

Ruslan has worked as a small business owner and operator and as a radio host.

Ruslan Shamal - Ballotpedia

Ruslan previously ran for New York City Council, District 49 in 2023, but did not win. 

2026 New York General Election

Q: Is there an existing New York State law or program that you believe is not working and that you would make it a priority to reform or repeal if elected?
A: The real property tax circuit breaker. It is, on paper, New York's promise that no one gets taxed out of their home. In practice, it's a dead letter: $18,000 income limit, $85,000 property value limit, $375 maximum credit, none of it adjusted since the 1980s. The program has quietly shed two-thirds of its claimants because the rules stopped describing anyone who actually exists.

That's worse than a bad law. It's a law that lets Albany say it's helping while helping almost no one. I'd rewrite the thresholds to track real incomes and real home values in New York City, and index them so we don't repeat this in another forty years. Senator Weik's S.3303 and Senator Gounardes's S.1147 are both starting points, and one is a Republican bill and one is a Democratic bill.

Inside the Race for Senate District 23: A Conversation with Ruslan Shamal

* Fight for affordability by pushing back against rising property taxes, utility costs, and policies that make it harder for families to stay in their homes.
* Protect homeowners and neighborhood character by opposing City of Yes mandates that override local voices and threaten quality of life.
* Fight for public safety by backing the NYPD, holding repeat offenders accountable, and putting victims and families first.
* Support parents and education policies that work by restoring parental involvement, backing school choice, and keeping politics out of the classroom.

Q: You have identified lower taxes and public safety as two of your top priorities. If elected, what specific legislation would you seek to introduce or support in Albany to address those issues?
A: On taxes, I'd start with bills already written and already stalled. S.587 and S.3914 exempt tips and overtime from the state income tax. That's money in the pocket of every waitress and every guy pulling a double shift in this district. S.8461-A returns roughly a billion dollars in unspent climate-account funds to ratepayers, and S.8463 gives a one-year holiday from the taxes and surcharges buried in everyone's utility bill.

It's unresolved because fixing it creates losers in wealthier neighborhoods, and Albany doesn't like losers. Last year the Adams administration couldn't find a single legislator willing to sponsor a reform bill.

I'd support S.3213, which ends the comparable-rental mandate, and S.9416, which extends the assessment cap to co-ops under 35 units.

Fix that first. It costs a fraction of what the state spends and it reaches exactly the people who need it. Then raise the senior homeowners' exemption, which Senator Lanza's S.7209 takes to $70,000, and raise the private pension exclusion, frozen at $20,000 since I was new to this country. S.7211 does that.

Proposes updating and indexing New York City's property-tax circuit-breaker eligibility thresholds to reflect incomes and home values.

Proposes updating and indexing New York City's property-tax circuit-breaker eligibility thresholds to reflect real incomes and home values.

Opposes City of Yes mandates that override local voices.

Opposes City of Yes mandates because they "override local voices and threaten quality of life."

Supports S.587 and S.3914 to exempt tips and overtime from state income tax.

Supports S.3213 to end the comparable-rental mandate and S.9416 to extend an assessment cap to co-ops with fewer than 35 units.

Would vote against the REVIVE Act, S.9423, and S.3397-B, which would override local zoning rules for religious-institution property.

Would vote against the REVIVE Act, S.9423, which "forces by-right approval with automatic sign-off if a city misses a deadline."

Supports raising the senior homeowners' exemption and the private-pension income exclusion through S.7209 and S.7211.

Would vote against S.3397-B, which would override local zoning rules for religious-institution property.

- Proposes updating and indexing New York City's property-tax circuit-breaker eligibility thresholds to reflect real incomes and home values.
- Opposes City of Yes mandates because they "override local voices and threaten quality of life."
- Supports S.587 and S.3914 to exempt tips and overtime from state income tax.
- Supports S.3213 to end the comparable-rental mandate and S.9416 to extend an assessment cap to co-ops with fewer than 35 units.
- Would vote against the REVIVE Act, S.9423, which "forces by-right approval with automatic sign-off if a city misses a deadline."
- Supports raising the senior homeowners' exemption and the private-pension income exclusion through S.7209 and S.7211.
- Would vote against S.3397-B, which would override local zoning rules for religious-institution property.

Economy

Supports S.8461-A to return unspent climate-account funds to ratepayers and S.8463 to suspend utility-bill taxes and surcharges for one year.

- Supports S.8461-A to return unspent climate-account funds to ratepayers and S.8463 to suspend utility-bill taxes and surcharges for one year.

Energy & the Environment

Healthcare: Richmond University Medical Center lost $27 million in 2024 and is openly looking for a merger partner. Across two rounds of the state's Safety Net Transformation Program, more than $2.6 billion in all, Staten Island received nothing. I'd fight for that money, and pass S.9388, requiring notice and community hearings before a hospital or a maternity unit closes. The Governor vetoed the earlier version in December after it passed the Senate 56 to 5.

Supports Safety Net Transformation Program funding for Staten Island and S.9388, requiring notice and community hearings before hospital or maternity-unit closures.

- Supports Safety Net Transformation Program funding for Staten Island and S.9388, requiring notice and community hearings before hospital or maternity-unit closures.

Healthcare

You can't fix that from the minority with a press release. What you can do is use the one moment of leverage everyone has, the budget, and refuse to trade your vote for nothing. And you can force the record: demand committee votes, so constituents can see who buried what.

Calls for recorded committee votes so constituents can see which legislators blocked legislation.

- Calls for recorded committee votes so constituents can see which legislators blocked legislation.

Voting & Elections

On public safety, the PROTECT Act, S.2282-A, would finally let a judge weigh whether a defendant is dangerous. It was killed in the Codes Committee this May, four votes to eight. I'd also back Senator Lanza's S.7241, which makes repeat car theft a felony and closes the Family Court loophole for 16- and 17-year-olds. Grand larceny auto is up 35 percent in the 120th Precinct.

Supports the PROTECT Act, S.2282-A, to allow judges to consider whether a defendant is dangerous.

Supports S.7241 to make repeat car theft a felony and change how Family Court treats 16- and 17-year-olds.

Supports S.7241 to make repeat car theft a felony and change have 16- and 17-year-olds tried in criminal court instead of family court. 

Supports the New York Police Department and holding repeat offenders accountable.

- Supports the PROTECT Act, S.2282-A, to allow judges to consider whether a defendant is dangerous.
- Supports S.7241 to make repeat car theft a felony and change have 16- and 17-year-olds tried in criminal court instead of family court. 
- Supports the New York Police Department and holding repeat offenders accountable.

Public Safety

Education: protect the Hecht-Calandra Act. S.5957 would scrap the specialized high school exam for "multiple measures." I'd oppose it, and support free universal test prep and more specialized seats instead.

Opposes S.5957, which would replace the specialized high school exam with multiple measures, and supports free test preparation and more specialized-school seats.

Supports restoring parental involvement, school choice, and keeping politics out of classrooms.

- Opposes S.5957, which would replace the specialized high school exam with multiple measures, and supports free test preparation and more specialized-school seats.
- Supports restoring parental involvement, school choice, and keeping politics out of classrooms.

Education

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Ruslan Shamal

- Supports the New York Police Department and holding repeat offenders accountable.

- Supports restoring parental involvement, school choice, and keeping politics out of classrooms.

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- Your state senator is involved in the legislative process at the state level as part of the New York State Senate, which consists of 63 members and serves as the upper house of the New York State Legislature, the state's lawmaking body. 
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- State senators draft laws, approve budgets, oversee the state executive branch, and engage in debates and votes on proposed legislation.  
- In addition to drafting and voting on bills, your state senator can serve on committees, where many bills may be delayed before reaching a vote.  
- State senators are elected for a two-year term with no term limits.  
- Their annual salary is $142,000.  

Your representative and state lawmaker in the New York Senate.