Thomas Rivera Schatz

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Thomas "Tommy" Rivera Schatz is a Puerto Rican politician.

The son of Jose A. Rivera "Nia", a former mayor of Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico, a suburb of the capital city of San Juan, and a German-ancestry housewife, Rivera-Schatz served as a legislative adviser and an assistant District Attorney after graduating from law school. He married Katherine Urbina in 1994 with whom he resides in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Rivera-Schatz served as the New Progressive Party's electoral commissioner before the Puerto Rico State Elections Commission. During the 2004 elections he described himself as a "statehood militant," and was an integral part of the NPP's effort to invalidate the results of the 2004 elections, which, as confirmed by a U.S. Federal Court, declared Anibal Acevedo Vila as winner over Pedro Rossello.

He is also known for his aggressive (some say caustic) communication skills, and is considered by his many critics to have an irrational and confrontational style.

After the 2004 elections, he engineered the firing of NPP Secretary General Maria Milagros Charbonier, and became the new Secretary General of the NPP.

He is a paid political analyst for WKAQ-AM radio station, where he cohosts a daily political-debate program. He also practices law while continuing to serve as the NPP's Electoral Commissioner and Secretary General.

Some pro-statehood hard-liners feel sympathy for Rivera Schatz, while most people feel his style and unconditional loyalty to party president Pedro Rosselló's aspirations have damaged his party's image and structure.

In his free time, he collects and restores antique automobiles.