State Senator Gustavo Rivera, the new representative of the northwest Bronx’s 33rd District, called a reporter last week from his cell phone while sitting in an office in downtown Manhattan. That’s life for a vagabond freshman politician in the senate’s minority party who is still trying to nail down a district office more than two months into his term.

While Rivera said he’s being proactive in his district — visiting community groups and constituents, holding meetings at his local New Capital diner on Kingsbridge Road — he admits, “it’s frustrating.”

Rivera is hoping to set up shop in a building on the Grand Concourse, just below Fordham Road and across from the Loew’s Paradise Theater, but the deal is caught up in red tape.

“The State Senate process is unfortunately a lengthy one,” spokeswoman Conchita Cruz said in an e-mail. “We have been told it will be resolved in the next few weeks.”

Rivera elected not to take up residence in the district office (or the majority leader office) on Bainbridge Avenue set up by his predecessor Pedro Espada, Jr., who is now facing federal fraud charges.

As the chief of staff for State Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins, a Democrat, Rivera said he has firsthand knowledge of how frustrating it can be to get even small things like setting up a district office accomplished as a member of the minority party. Democrats briefly retook control of the Senate in 2009, but gave it back last fall.

But even with majority backing, Espada didn’t set up a district office for nearly an entire year, although he did manage to secure a majority leader office about nine months after his term started.

Temporarily, at least, Rivera earlier this week began holding “mobile” office hours at the Mosholu Montefiore Community Center on DeKalb Avenue and Gun Hill Road.

In the meantime, however, Rivera has legislative work to attend to. Recently, Rivera joined a group of 20 Senate colleagues in opposing Governor Cuomo’s plan to let a personal income tax surcharge on wealthy New Yorkers expire. Rivera said the tax, which was put in place two years ago, would generate between $1 billion and $2 billion in revenue and mitigate painful cuts to education and health care.

“It’s about distributing the pain evenly among all New Yorkers,” Rivera said, adding that poorer New Yorkers, like many of those living below the poverty line in his district, would feel education and health care cuts more acutely.
Rivera said he spoke with Cuomo at the governor’s mansion earlier in the year about the issue. According to Rivera, Cuomo said he was concerned the tax would stifle business and lead wealthy New Yorkers to flee the state.

Despite Cuomo’s initial opposition, Rivera said, “It is about opening up a conversation with the governor.”

Editor’s Note: If constituents want to reach Sen. Rivera, they can call him at his Albany office, (518) 455-3395.