Jose Rivera (politician)

Jose Rivera
Member of the New York Assembly from the 78th District
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2001
Preceded by	Roberto Ramirez
In office January 3, 1983 - December 23, 1987
Preceded by	Armando Montano
Succeeded by	Israel Martinez
Member of the New York City Council from the 15th District
In office December 23, 1987 - December 31, 2000
Preceded by	Fernando Ferrer
Succeeded by	Joel Rivera
Personal details
Born	July 30, 1936 San Juan, Puerto Rico
Political party	Democratic
Religion	Catholic
Website	Official website

Jose Rivera (born July 30, 1936) is a member of the New York State Assembly, representing the Fordham-Bedford, Kingsbridge Heights, Bedford Park, and Belmont sections of the Bronx. He is a Democrat.

Biography

Rivera was born in 1936 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He was a member of the New York State Assembly from 1983 to 1987, sitting in the 185th, 186th and 187th New York State Legislatures. He was a member of the New York City Council from 1987 to 2000. Rivera was elected again to the State Assembly in 2000, and was the head of the Democratic Party in the Bronx until he was ousted in 2008 by the so-called Rainbow Rebels.

Prior to his election to the Assembly in 1982, Rivera gained prominence as a labor advocate and organizer of construction workers and "gypsy" taxicab drivers.^[1]

During his tenure as County Leader of the Bronx, Rivera was frequently advised by Mike Nieves, a Democratic party consultant and strategist.^[2] Rivera was a vocal advocate for the withdrawal of the U.S. Navy from its bombing range on the island of Vieques, Puerto Rico, and was arrested in 2001, together with Al Sharpton and other political figures, for trespassing onto the Navy's Vieques facility. The Navy subsequently agreed to withdraw from the Vieques facility. Two of his children, Joel Rivera and Naomi Rivera, were formerly elected officials in the Bronx, and were members of the New York City Council and New York State Assembly, respectively.

In March 2014, Rivera achieved a local prominence in the Dominican Republic. He videotaped himself buying a local aphrodisiac named mamajuana, and declared that it would enhance his sexual performance.^[3]

References

1. Lien, Marianne Elisabeth (ed.); Melhuus, Marit (ed.); Krohn-Hansen, Christian (ch. 5) (2007). "Chapter 5: The Understanding of Migration and the Discourse of Nationalism: Dominicans in New York City". Holding Worlds Together: Ethnographies of Knowing and Belonging. Berghahn Books. p. 86. ISBN 978-1-84545-250-6. Retrieved October 25, 2010. '...Then the Puerto Ricans, who are the pioneers in this struggle, began to offer services with the so-called gypsy cabs, cars that weren't regulated by the city...We had a Puerto Rican who was born in this industry, José Rivera...'
2. New York Times, 12-16-2006 Retrieved 06-26-2013.
3. Ben Endley, "Embarrassing Footage Emerges, U.K. Daily Guardian, March 2014. Retrieved June 9, 2008.

External links

• Official New York State Assembly Website