Robert Giuffre didn’t necessarily want to spend his summer fighting an uphill primary battle against incumbent Naomi Rivera.

But Giuffre said Rivera’s actions, or inaction, as the Assembly representative for his Morris Park neighborhood compelled him to throw his hat in the ring.

“I felt like Naomi could use a primary,” Giuffre said.
In general, Giuffre said Rivera takes the job for granted, doesn’t speak up about community issues and is rarely visible or responsive.

Rivera did not respond to several interview requests for this article.
Giuffre points to Rivera’s attendance record, which was the fifth worst in the entire assembly in 2009, according to the Albany Times-Union. She missed 25 of that year’s 84 session days, meaning she was absent nearly 30 percent of the time.

According to Giuffre, Rivera also failed to stand with residents who were against the closing of a Morris Park senior center and hasn’t worked to pass any meaningful legislation in her six years in office.

“If I did that, I’d hope they’d vote me out,” said Giuffre. “Can she point to any accomplishments she’s made?”

Giuffre, who calls himself “a liberal,” said if elected, he would be present and accountable. He said he would address the traffic problems, the lack of parking, high taxes and rising crime in the area. He would raise taxes on the wealthiest 2 percent of New Yorkers and lower other taxes and tolls that he said hit middle-class disproportionally.

Even if he doesn’t win (and he doesn’t expect to), Giuffre said it’s been worth it. “I couldn’t sit around and see [Rivera] run unopposed in my backyard,” he said.