Anthony Chiofalo, a lawyer and Belmont resident, has continued his uphill fight for the 80th Assembly seat — this time, as a Republican. 

Though he’s a registered Democrat, Chiofalo was knocked off the ballot in September’s hotly-contested primary for the seat, which covers Morris Park, Pelham Parkway and sections of Norwood and Bedford Park. In keeping with his persistent, and at times pugnacious, character, Chiofalo vowed to fight on.

"There is no Republican or Democratic way to clean the streets," said Chiofalo, 43, quoting former mayor Fiorello LaGuardia.

Chiofalo’s platform straddles both parties. He is a liberal on most social issues, advocating for programs for the elderly, the environment, and education. But his conservative streak comes out on economic issues like reforming housing voucher programs and keeping low-income developments out of middle class areas.

He would also like to see more cops on the streets. "I want to prevent middle class areas from deteriorating," said Chiofalo, who has lived in the district since 1996.

Education is a top concern for Chiofalo, a father of two young boys whose wife teaches at Mount St. Ursula Academy. Chiofalo supports the Campaign for Fiscal Equity lawsuit to bring more state school funding to New York City, and he would like to develop a healthcare-oriented high school in partnership with the borough’s many hospitals. He also thinks the state needs to expand programs for special education students.

A corporate lawyer for 20 years, Chiofalo has reached out to the Bronx Environmental Health and Justice organization in their lawsuit against the water filtration plant planned for Norwood. He thinks that putting the plant in Van Cortlandt Park is a bad move environmentally, and it is also unlikely to yield jobs for Bronxites, he says.

"Those who supported this are being totally foolish," he said, referring specifically to Bronx Democrats. 

Claiming that he is the only candidate "with integrity," Chiofalo has aggressively attacked his opponent, Naomi Rivera, for being a puppet of her father, Assemblyman Jose Rivera. While Rivera has clearly come out against the plant, Chiofalo says that those are empty claims given her father’s support for the project.

"Whatever label you want to put on me, I’m going to act in the community’s interest because it’s my interest," he said. "I don’t know if I can say that about my opponent."

Chiofalo says his former primary adversaries, Joe Thompson and Anthony Friedman, are now supporting his campaign despite their previous antagonisms (especially between him and Friedman, the son of a former party boss). "Many of [their] people are now working with me," said Chiofalo, who counts 50 volunteers on his team.

Chiofalo points to their support as a sign of his ability to build political coalitions. But he also clearly relishes confrontation as he demonstrated at a raucous primary debate in August, when he repeatedly attacked his opponents.

That event may have played a role in Rivera’s decision not to debate Chiofalo on BronxTalk, a cable talk show, where he appeared alone last week. 

Chiofalo is proud of his long history of community service in the district, much of it geared toward Italian-Americans. He helped found a Bronx Italian-American political action committee, has taught Italian to youngsters, and was busily registering elderly Italians in the district earlier this month. 

With the area’s waning Italian population, and Rivera’s name recognition, Chiofalo’s formula may well not generate enough votes. But none of that seems to matter to him "I’m not a career politician," he said. "I came into this race with my only self interests being those of my family and neighbors."

Rivera Stresses Family and Community

Naomi Rivera has cast herself as a mother, neighbor, and leader, seeking to emphasize her political competency and community sensitivity. She also defends her independence, and dodged a barrage of attacks against her during the primary. (Despite repeated invitations, Rivera chose not to be interviewed for this article.)

The 41-year-old Morris Park resident most recently served as deputy chief clerk for the Bronx Board of Elections, and previously, was the borough president’s special events director. A Manhattan Community College graduate, Rivera is married with two sons. 

One of Rivera’s top issues is domestic violence. She co-chairs the Bronx Domestic Violence Advisory Council, and produced a Bronx phone-in talk show called "DiVa Talk." If elected, she hopes to increase police training and judicial responses to domestic violence. 

In a candidate survey completed in August, Rivera said her other top concerns were identifying and reducing the causes of asthma, and fighting for social services and affordable housing. Rivera has gone to great pains to cast herself as independent from her father, Bronx Democratic organization leader Assemblyman Jose Rivera. She has taken a strong stance against the filtration plant, which her father and her brother, Council Member Joel Rivera, support. She also questioned the controversial Bronx Meals on Wheels overhaul, another plan blessed by the elder Rivera.