BY THE VILLAGE SUN | Councilmember Carlina Rivera is a mom.
Rivera, 39, a native Lower East Sider, and her husband, Jamie Rogers, a former chairperson of Community Board 3, have reportedly welcomed a baby boy.
Word had recently been getting around that Rivera was pregnant, though apparently she wasn’t showing that much.
Then, on Monday night, the East Side councilmember was due to be honored at the Theater for the New City’s annual Love ’N Courage benefit at The Players, on Gramercy Park South. But the politician never turned up — reportedly having given birth just earlier.
The night’s other honoree was playwright Eduardo Machado.
Susan Stetzer, district manager of Community Board 3, also confirmed that Rivera and Rogers are new parents to a son.
The Village Sun has reached out to Rivera’s office for more information and to ask, for example, whether the councilmember plans to take any maternity leave.
Rivera, who represents District 2, faces an election later this year. Normally, City Council terms run for four years, but due to redistricting, this current term is only a two-year half-term.
As woman who worked until her due date, back at work after 6 weeks and worked an average 50 hours a week, I found neither Gojira’s nor The Village Sun’s remarks “mean” or “riddled with sexist innuendo.”
I also saw Carlina Rivera twice recently and was shocked when I heard she had given birth because she DIDN’T LOOK PREGNANT (is that offensive to you?).
Also, I agree that she never has her constituents uppermost in mind as she regularly sides with big real estate time after time (as in the East River Park disaster and landmark preservation).
It would be a gift to her district if she took a break from politics. A very big break (as in never returning).
I respect a person’s privacy and believe it is time for women to have a family and remain in their careers.
Having a child is a life-changing event, and there have been no announcements by the councilwoman’s office about what it means for the constituents and district council business.
To many constituents, it comes as a surprise that she was expecting. Again, that is her right to privacy, but it is not the best way to handle the change of events. There are plenty of examples of excellent women leaders and how they dealt with their family planning while juggling government affairs.
Previous councilmembers were much more approachable than Rivera’s office, where often it feels like we are dealing with the wizard behind the curtain. Many don’t know or aren’t sure who her chief of staff is.
If it hasn’t been apparent before, we’ve known for a while that we have had a representative who has turned her back on her district. She revealed that she had greater ambitions as a career politician.
Just sitting here, snacking on popcorn, watching the events unfold.
This article is riddled with meanness and sexist innuendo and, if written by the usual male gossip columnist, even worse that he allows himself some of the language here. Like, “she wasn’t showing that much.” Yuck!
“riddled”?
Really?
You don’t help your cause with ridiculous hyperbole.
If there is a better way to put it, you tell us! (Maybe “not very visibly pregnant”?) We saw Carlina at a few events — admittedly quickly, in passing, in crowded situations, at Harvey Epstein’s political mixer and from a bit of a distance at the LaMama reopening, which was literally a packed, mob scene — not too long before she gave birth and did not notice.
She’ll never be able to understand the long-term damage she did with her votes on East River Park and Governors Island. As daughter-in-law of a multibillionaire she can do anything she pleases, and she acts like it.
Wish her well, though not a fan of her as a political representative.
I hope that parenthood will help her be compassionate about transportation needs — including that closing streets (“Open Streets”) for the bike lobby TransAlt hurts bus riders, hurts people who are ill or have mobility issues and need vehicle access to get to the doctor, for daily living, etc.
Please remove the above sexist statement. Professional, high-powered women have babies all the time. If there is a second parent, hopefully he or she will actively participate in parenting. Partners of male elected officials have children all the time.
Judge the record not the fertility!
Councilmember Rivera’s record is abysmal. The statement is not sexist. She has done little for community preservation despite her claims of her connection to the community. Soon she will be term-limited, and then she will be gone. Good riddance.
I hope she is gone. Ppl like that woman vote for women cause they r women- they don’t vote for who will improve our city
I second the recommendation that that comment be taken down. Especially in today’s climate, with restrictions and attacks on women’s rights in a number of arenas, I was unpleasantly surprised to see a comment suggesting that mothers do not belong in public office.
Personally I don’t find Gojira’s comment to be sexist or at a level to be removed. (Curmudgeonly or mean perhaps)
People change direction or focus etc for all sorts of reasons — economic change, health, elder care responsibilities and yes parenthood.
My cousin’s husband retired from the NYPD (luckily he had the years) to take care of the kids while his wife worked — a nurse with a long commute.
BTW I am a FT working mother.
Maybe that means she will drop out of politics, for which she is woefully unsuited, and let someone who wants to really work for their constituents take her place. She did nothing BEFORE she had a baby.