Peter M Rivera

Peter Rivera (born November 12, 1946 in Ponce, Puerto Rico) represented District 76 in the New York State Assembly, which comprises West Farms, Van Nest, Castle Hill and Parkchester. He is currently the New York State Commissioner of Labor.

Born in Ponce, Puerto Rico, he holds a degree in Business Administration from Pace College, 1968, and a J.D. from St. John's Law School, 1974. The following year he was admitted to the Bar.

Beginning his career as a patrolman and detective with the NYPD in the South Bronx, Rivera then became an agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration. After graduating from law school he began to work as an Assistant District Attorney in the Homicide Bureau of the Bronx District Attorney's Office. He has been in private law practice since 1978.

First elected to the Assembly in 1992, Rivera is the current Chairman of the New York Assembly's Puerto Rican/Hispanic Task force and Assembly Committee on Mental Health, Mental Retardation, and Developmental Disabilities. He remains the highest-ranking self-described Latino officeholder within the State Assembly.

It was revealed in a New York Daily News article that in the 2010 election that he would face a primary challenge from Bronx lawyer Luis R. Sepúlveda. [1] Rivera went on to defeat Sepulveda in the 2010 Primary.