Andrew Cuomo Taps Bronx Assemblyman Peter Rivera (And Baggage That Comes With Him)

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http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/2012/03/andrew_cuomo_ta.php

Andrew Cuomo Taps Bronx Assemblyman Peter Rivera (And Baggage That Comes With Him) For Top Labor Gig

Bronx Assemblyman Peter Rivera comes with a bit of baggage.

Governor Andrew Cuomo used the annual dinner for a non-profit group aimed at increasing the role of Hispanics in the public policy making process to announce that Democratic Bronx Assemblyman Peter Rivera is his pick to replace Colleen Gardner (a David Patterson holdover) as the commissioner of the state Department of Labor.

Rivera happens to be Puerto Rican, so the governor couldn't have picked a more politically savvy venue to make his announcement (courting the Hispanic vote could go a long way -- like all the way to a 2016 presidential run, if you catch our drift).

The dinner the governor attended was the annual gala for Somos El Futuro, which found itself smack-dab in the middle of a public pissing match between the governor and two teachers unions last week. More on that here.

Rivera has served in the Assembly for nearly 20 years. During his time in the Assembly, he served as the chairman of the Assembly Standing Committee on Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities. He also currently sits on the New York State Assembly Committee on Rules and the Judiciary Committee, as well as the committees on Agriculture, and Consumer Affairs and Protection.