Thomas Rivera Schatz
Encyclopedia
Thomas "Tommy" Rivera Schätz (born June 10, 1966) is a Puerto Rican
politician
currently serving as the fourteenth President of the Senate of Puerto Rico
. He is affiliated with the pro-statehood New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico
and the United States Republican Party. Likewise, he has served as an international guest observer in the electoral processes of various Caribbean and Latin American nations..
. He is the son of José A. “Nía” Rivera, a former mayor of Trujillo Alto
, and Christina Schätz.
Rivera Schatz attended high school at Colegio Santa Cruz graduating in 1984. He then went to the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico
where he obtained his Bachelor's degree
in Political Science, graduating Magna Cum Laude. Soon afterwards he was accepted at the Interamerican University Law School, where he graduated in 1992. A year later, he passed the bar exam required to practice law in Puerto Rico.
Rivera Schätz started his legal career as a legal advisor in the Senate
and House of Representatives of Puerto Rico. In 1996, Governor
Pedro Rosselló
appointed him as a prosecutor at the Department of Justice
. After finishing his service as a prosecutor, he returned to private practice, tending both criminal and civil cases.
(PNP). During this time, Rivera Schatz supported President of the PNP, Carlos Pesquera
. On June 20, 2002, Schatz was detained, along with Pesquera, after an incident in the office of Women Affairs. Pesquera attempted to enter the offices by force to make a statement by putting the flag of the United States
in the government office, after it was removed. As a result, a riot ensued.
Two years later, Party President Pedro Rosselló
named Rivera Schatz as Secretary General of the PNP in addition to his current position as Electoral Commissioner. He served both positions simultaneously until August 1, 2007, when he decided to run for Senator.
, Rivera Schatz was elected Senator. His fellow Senators then appointed him to be the 14th President of Puerto Rico’s Senate. As such, he selected the following persons for his team:
Rivera Schatz was sworn in to his current post on January 12, 2009.
In early April 2010, Mr. Rivera Schatz stated that Project 1725 would not be approved by the Senate, regardless of the fact that there have been no Senate hearings yet on the measure, and no Public Hearings have yet been scheduled to discuss the bill.
During a long period of time he supported his close friend and fellow senator, Héctor Martínez Maldonado
who was indicted in a federal bribery case. Even after Martinez was convicted, in a federal court and by a jury of his peers, of accepting a bribe from Juan Bravo (also convicted, in the same trial, of conspiring to commit bribery, committing bribery and interstate travel to commit a federal crime)the president and owner of Ranger American, a privately owned company dedicated to providing security and armored services. Bravo was to be a beneficiary of legislation that was pending in a committee presided by Martinez Maldonado. Rivera Schatz, as Senate President, expressed that Martínez would remain in office until the convicted senator's appeals were resolved. The senator had accepted airplane tickets to Las Vegas, Nevada, a stay at the Mandalay Bay Hotel and tickets to a boxing match between Tito Trinidad and Winky Wright
and was convicted of conspiring to commit a federal crime (accepting a bribe) and of accepting the bribe. After Martinez' conviction, nevertheless, Rivera Schatz referred him to the Senate Ethics Committee to begin the process that may result in the convicted senator's expulsion from the body but, buys him plenty of time to appeal his conviction before his resignation became final. The governor, the resident commissioner and other members of his party and the administration urged Senator Martinez Maldonado to resign until he did, finally, on March 12, 2011.
Rivera Schatz and his father are avid collectors of antique cars.
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
currently serving as the fourteenth President of the Senate of Puerto Rico
Senate of Puerto Rico
The Senate of Puerto Rico is the upper house of the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico, the territorial legislature of Puerto Rico. The Senate is composed of 27 senators, representing eight constituent senatorial districts across the commonwealth, with two senators elected per district; an...
. He is affiliated with the pro-statehood New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico
New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico
The New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico is a political party that advocates for Puerto Rico's admission to the United States of America as the 51st state...
and the United States Republican Party. Likewise, he has served as an international guest observer in the electoral processes of various Caribbean and Latin American nations..
Early life and studies
Rivera Schätz was born on June 10, 1966 in the Bronx Borough of New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. He is the son of José A. “Nía” Rivera, a former mayor of Trujillo Alto
Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico
-Barrios :*Carraízo*Las Cuevas*Dos Bocas*La Gloria*Quebrada Grande*Quebrada Negrito*Saint Just*Trujillo Alto Pueblo*Cooperativa Jardines de Trujillo Alto-Geo/Topography:*Carraízo dam...
, and Christina Schätz.
Rivera Schatz attended high school at Colegio Santa Cruz graduating in 1984. He then went to the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico
Interamerican University of Puerto Rico
The Inter American University of Puerto Rico —or Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico in Spanish, and often referred as "Inter"— is a private university system in Puerto Rico. It was founded in 1912 in San German, Puerto Rico. The University has campuses in Aguadilla, Arecibo, Barranquitas,...
where he obtained his Bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in Political Science, graduating Magna Cum Laude. Soon afterwards he was accepted at the Interamerican University Law School, where he graduated in 1992. A year later, he passed the bar exam required to practice law in Puerto Rico.
Rivera Schätz started his legal career as a legal advisor in the Senate
Senate of Puerto Rico
The Senate of Puerto Rico is the upper house of the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico, the territorial legislature of Puerto Rico. The Senate is composed of 27 senators, representing eight constituent senatorial districts across the commonwealth, with two senators elected per district; an...
and House of Representatives of Puerto Rico. In 1996, Governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
Pedro Rosselló
Pedro Rosselló
Pedro Juan Rosselló González, M.D., , is a Puerto Rican physician and politician who served as the sixth Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico from 1993 to 2001...
appointed him as a prosecutor at the Department of Justice
Puerto Rico Department of Justice
The Puerto Rico Department of Justice, headed by the Attorney General, has been in existence, in one form or another since Puerto Rico was a Spanish colony...
. After finishing his service as a prosecutor, he returned to private practice, tending both criminal and civil cases.
Electoral Commissioner and Secretary General: 2000-2007
In 2000, Rivera Schatz was named Electoral Commissioner for the pro-statehood New Progressive PartyNew Progressive Party of Puerto Rico
The New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico is a political party that advocates for Puerto Rico's admission to the United States of America as the 51st state...
(PNP). During this time, Rivera Schatz supported President of the PNP, Carlos Pesquera
Carlos Pesquera
Carlos Ignacio Pesquera Morales Ph.D. is a Puerto Rican civil engineer and former politician. He was an unsuccessful candidate for Governor of Puerto Rico in the elections of 2000. He is married to Irasema Rivera, an agronomist, and has one son and one daughter...
. On June 20, 2002, Schatz was detained, along with Pesquera, after an incident in the office of Women Affairs. Pesquera attempted to enter the offices by force to make a statement by putting the flag of the United States
Flag of the United States
The national flag of the United States of America consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the canton bearing fifty small, white, five-pointed stars arranged in nine offset horizontal rows of six stars alternating with rows...
in the government office, after it was removed. As a result, a riot ensued.
Two years later, Party President Pedro Rosselló
Pedro Rosselló
Pedro Juan Rosselló González, M.D., , is a Puerto Rican physician and politician who served as the sixth Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico from 1993 to 2001...
named Rivera Schatz as Secretary General of the PNP in addition to his current position as Electoral Commissioner. He served both positions simultaneously until August 1, 2007, when he decided to run for Senator.
Senator: 2008-present
In the 2008 general electionsPuerto Rican general election, 2008
The Puerto Rico general election of 2008, held on Tuesday, November 4, 2008 was the most recent election to select the Governor of Puerto Rico.The election was won by Luis G...
, Rivera Schatz was elected Senator. His fellow Senators then appointed him to be the 14th President of Puerto Rico’s Senate. As such, he selected the following persons for his team:
- Senator Margarita Nolasco as Senate President Pro temporePro temporePro tempore , abbreviated pro tem or p.t., is a Latin phrase which best translates to "for the time being" in English. This phrase is often used to describe a person who acts as a locum tenens in the absence of a superior, such as the President pro tempore of the United States Senate.Legislative...
- Senator Roberto Arango as Majority Leader
- Senator Larry Seilhamer as Majority Whip
- Roberto "Junior" Maldonado as Chief Administrative Officer of the Senate.
- Senate Secretary Manuel A. TorresManuel A. TorresManuel A. Torres-Nieves was the Secretary of the Senate of Puerto Rico during the tumultuous years since the 2004 general election in which the Senate has been controlled by the pro-statehood New Progressive Party while the governorship has been controlled by the pro-status quo Popular Democratic...
was nominated by Rivera Schatz and reelected to a second term, becoming the first Senate secretary to serve under two different Senate Presidents - Incumbent Superintendent of the Capitol, Eliezer Velázquez, was nominated by Rivera Schatz and ratified by House Speaker Jennifer GonzálezJennifer GonzálezJenniffer A. González Colón is a Puerto Rican politician who serves as the Speaker of the House of Representatives of Puerto Rico, a commonwealth with the United States. She is affiliated with the pro-statehood New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico and the United States Republican Party...
for a second term, a first for a Superintendent.
Rivera Schatz was sworn in to his current post on January 12, 2009.
Controversial Positions
Puerto Rico's House of Representatives approved on November 13, 2009 (by a 43 to 6 vote) House Bill 1725, which would forbid discrimination based on sexual orientation, in the areas of employment, public transportation and public facilities, business transactions,and housing. The bill was referred to Puerto Rico's Senate, and discussions in that Chamber started December 18, 2009. The Senate Committees for Labor & Human Resources, and for Civil Matters, are both reviewing the measure.In early April 2010, Mr. Rivera Schatz stated that Project 1725 would not be approved by the Senate, regardless of the fact that there have been no Senate hearings yet on the measure, and no Public Hearings have yet been scheduled to discuss the bill.
During a long period of time he supported his close friend and fellow senator, Héctor Martínez Maldonado
Héctor Martínez Maldonado
Héctor Javier Martínez Maldonado is a Puerto Rican attorney and politician who served as a state senator of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. Martínez was convicted of bribery by a federal jury on March 8, 2011...
who was indicted in a federal bribery case. Even after Martinez was convicted, in a federal court and by a jury of his peers, of accepting a bribe from Juan Bravo (also convicted, in the same trial, of conspiring to commit bribery, committing bribery and interstate travel to commit a federal crime)the president and owner of Ranger American, a privately owned company dedicated to providing security and armored services. Bravo was to be a beneficiary of legislation that was pending in a committee presided by Martinez Maldonado. Rivera Schatz, as Senate President, expressed that Martínez would remain in office until the convicted senator's appeals were resolved. The senator had accepted airplane tickets to Las Vegas, Nevada, a stay at the Mandalay Bay Hotel and tickets to a boxing match between Tito Trinidad and Winky Wright
Winky Wright
Ronald Lamont "Winky" Wright is an American boxer, the former undisputed world light middleweight champion and a current middleweight contender....
and was convicted of conspiring to commit a federal crime (accepting a bribe) and of accepting the bribe. After Martinez' conviction, nevertheless, Rivera Schatz referred him to the Senate Ethics Committee to begin the process that may result in the convicted senator's expulsion from the body but, buys him plenty of time to appeal his conviction before his resignation became final. The governor, the resident commissioner and other members of his party and the administration urged Senator Martinez Maldonado to resign until he did, finally, on March 12, 2011.
In the media
Throughout his career, Rivera Schatz has participated in numerous public opinion forums as a political analyst, especially in top radio news programs, including his own.Personal life
Thomas Rivera Schatz married Katherine Alfonso Urbina on July 16, 1994. Three years later, he had a daughter from another relationship with Dalcia Lebrón Nieves, a government employee.Rivera Schatz and his father are avid collectors of antique cars.
See also
- List of famous Puerto Ricans
- German immigration to Puerto RicoGerman immigration to Puerto RicoGerman immigration to Puerto Rico increased when German businessmen immigrated to Puerto Rico during the early part of the 19th century. However, it was the economic and political situation in Europe during the early 19th century plus, the fact that the Spanish Crown issued the Royal Decree of...