Born and raised in New York , Messinger attended the Brearley School . She graduated from Radcliffe College in 1962 and received a Master of Social Work from the University of Oklahoma in 1964 . Messinger was a delegate to the 1980 Democratic National Convention and served on the New York City Council from 1978 to 1989 , representing the Upper West Side of Manhattan . In the City Council , she proposed extending rent control from individuals to businesses . From 1990 to 1998 , she served as Manhattan borough president , an office she gave up to unsuccessfully run for mayor in the 1997 election
1980 Democratic National Convention
1980 Democratic National Convention
Ruth Messinger