Puerto Rican odontologist and politician
In this
Spanish name
, the first or paternal
surname
is
Bernier
and the second or maternal family name is
Rivera
.
David Enrique "Quique"
[a]
Bernier Rivera
(
Spanish pronunciation:
[da?βið
en?rike
βe??nje?
ri?βe?a]
; born January 21, 1977) is a
Puerto Rican
dentist
and politician that has served in various roles in public service in
Puerto Rico
. Bernier first served as executive director of the Office of Youth Affairs of Puerto Rico and was later confirmed as the youngest
Secretary of Sports and Recreation of Puerto Rico
in history. Four years later, he was unanimously confirmed as
Secretary of State of Puerto Rico
for the administration of
Alejandro Garcia Padilla
. He was the 2016 candidate for Governor of Puerto Rico of the
Popular Democratic Party
.
Ideologically, Bernier is affiliated with two parties: one within Puerto Rico and another within the United States as a whole. Within Puerto Rico, he used to preside the
Popular Democratic Party
(PPD in Spanish) and identifies as a
sovereigntist
?a member of a faction within the PPD that advocates for Puerto Rico to enter
a compact of free association with the United States
rather than continuing
the status quo
. At the national level, however, Bernier is a member of the
Democratic Party of the United States
and a staunch supporter of President
Barack Obama
.
Outside politics, Bernier was an accomplished athlete. He was a member of the Puerto Rican national
fencing
team, in which he represented the island in the
Pan American Games
and in the
Central American and Caribbean Games
. As a Pan American athlete, he was a Pan American Youth Champion for three consecutive years. He also won a bronze medal in the
1998 Central American and Caribbean Games
celebrated in
Maracaibo
,
Venezuela
.
His accomplishments as an athlete eventually led him to public service. As an accomplished youngster, governor
Sila Maria Calderon
decided to appoint Bernier to lead the Puerto Rico Office of Youth Affairs in 2003. Two years later, governor
Anibal Acevedo Vila
appointed him as Secretary of Sports of Puerto Rico. But as a different political party took over the government, Bernier opted to leave his incumbency after four years of service. A few months later he was elected president of the Puerto Rico Olympic Committee. In that capacity Bernier led the efforts to organize the
2010 Central American and Caribbean Games
celebrated in
Mayaguez
. A few years later and as he was preparing for his re-election for president of the committee, governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla appointed him as Secretary of State of Puerto Rico. In that role, Bernier transformed the
Department of State of Puerto Rico
by creating the
Morales Carrion Diplomatic and Foreign Relations School
, by opening several Puerto Rican trade promotion offices in foreign countries, and by reducing the backlog of business charters filings and intellectual property filings. Bernier, however, left his incumbency once again but this time to run for
governor of Puerto Rico
in the
2016 general election
for the Popular Democratic Party.
Bernier campaigned to become the
12th
Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico
. He began his tour in February 2016 under the name "Tour Colorao" (English:
Red-colored Tour
) in reference to his redheadedness.
[2]
On November 8, 2016, Bernier lost the
2016 Governor's race
, losing to main rival
Ricky Rossello
of the
New Progressive Party (PNP)
[3]
Early life
[
edit
]
David Enrique Bernier Rivera
[4]
was born in
Patillas
, the fifth of six children, to Luis David Bernier Rivera, a professor at the
University of Puerto Rico at Ponce
, and Celia Rivera Guzman, a nurse.
[1]
[5]
[6]
He and his younger brother, Victor, attended the Maria Davila Semidey School in Patillas, where they received their primary education. After this, they enrolled in the school of sports of the
Albergue Olimpico
located in
Salinas
. Bernier then became a member of the National Fencing Selection of Puerto Rico, during his school years, and represented Puerto Rico in events worldwide. He was also president of the first graduating class of the Albergue Olimpico school.
[7]
Bernier later studied at the
University of Puerto Rico at Cayey
where he received a
bachelor's degree
in
natural sciences
, graduating
magna cum laude
.
[4]
He then completed a doctorate in
odontology
at the
University of Puerto Rico School of Dental Medicine
.
[4]
[7]
He was also president of the student council
[4]
[7]
and was also named president of the Association of Athletes of High Endurance.
[4]
[7]
Sports life
[
edit
]
As a member of the National Fencing Selection of Puerto Rico, Bernier was the Panamerican Youth Champion for three consecutive years. He also won the bronze medal in the
1998 Central American and Caribbean Games
, celebrated in
Maracaibo, Venezuela
.
Bernier and his brother went to
Carolina
, where they trained under trainer Gilberto Pena.
On 2004, Bernier was inducted into the Puerto Rican Sports Hall of Fame.
[
citation needed
]
In September 2008, Bernier resigned to his position as Secretary of Sports and Recreation to run for President of the
Puerto Rico Olympic Committee
.
[8]
The election for president of the Olympic Committee took place on October 1, 2008. Bernier won the seat receiving 26 votes from the Federation delegates versus 13 votes in favor of incumbent Hector Cardona.
[9]
As president of the Olympic Committee, Bernier dealt with the
2010 Central American and Caribbean Games
in
Mayaguez
, the
2011 Pan American Games
in
Guadalajara
, and the
2012 Summer Olympics
in
London
.
[10]
First years in public service
[
edit
]
In 2003, Governor
Sila Calderon
appointed Bernier as executive director of the Office of Youth Affairs. On September 26, 2003, the
Senate of Puerto Rico
confirmed Bernier for the position.
On January 4, 2005, he resigned his post at the Office of Youth Affairs after being named Secretary of the
Puerto Rico Department of Sports and Recreation
by Governor
Anibal Acevedo Vila
. He was unanimously confirmed in that post by the Senate of Puerto Rico, presided over by
Kenneth McClintock
, who later preceded him as secretary of state. In 2006, after the Senate failed to confirm two nominees to replace him at the Office of Youth Affairs, the Governor nominated him once again to that job, which he held simultaneously with the position of Secretary of Sports and Recreation, once he was again confirmed by the Senate.
On January 31, 2008, Bernier became president of the committee organizing the
2010 Central American and Caribbean Games
. Following his designation he announced that he would discuss with the mayors of adjacent municipalities to help in the process.
[11]
Secretary of State
[
edit
]
On November 15, 2012, Governor-elect
Alejandro Garcia Padilla
appointed Bernier to succeed
Kenneth McClintock
as Puerto Rico's 23rd
Secretary of State
, which also entails the role of lieutenant governor.
[10]
At the moment, Bernier was preparing to be reelected as president of the Olympic Committee when he was approached by Garcia Padilla for the position.
[12]
He was sworn into his recess appointment by Puerto Rico Supreme Court Chief Justice
Federico Hernandez Denton
and he has since been unanimously confirmed by the
Senate of Puerto Rico
and the
Puerto Rico House of Representatives
. Holding the title of Secretary of State entails serving in the dual role of lieutenant governor. As such, he has served as acting governor whenever Governor Garcia Padilla has been out of Puerto Rico. At least once during his term, the acting governorship has been delegated to
Attorney General
Luis Sanchez Betances
when both the Governor and Bernier have been absent, and when General Sanchez Betances has also been away, Secretary of the Treasury
Melba Acosta
has served as acting governor.
He submitted his resignation as secretary of state on October 25, 2015, effective October 30, 2015. His Deputy Secretary, Javier Gonzalez, will become acting secretary until a new secretary of state is appointed and qualified.
As secretary of state, he continued and expanded several digitalization projects begun by his predecessor, created the
Arturo Morales-Carrion
International Relations Internship Program and coordinated the
Campus Puerto Rico
project to promote the Commonwealth as a destination for college students from the rest of the United States and Latin America.
He is a member of the
National Association of Secretaries of State
and the
National Lieutenant Governors Association
, two organizations that held conventions in Puerto Rico during his predecessor Kenneth McClintock's incumbency.
Gubernatorial campaign
[
edit
]
On December 16, 2015, Bernier announced he would run for governor under the PPD during the
2016 general elections
. His announcement came two days after incumbent governor
Alejandro Garcia Padilla
announced he would not seek re-election. It was the first time Bernier ran for an elective office in politics. If he was elected governor, he would have been the second-youngest in Puerto Rico's history. On November 8, 2016, Bernier lost the
2016 Governor's race
, losing to main rival
Ricky Rossello
of the
New Progressive Party (PNP)
[3]
Endorsements
[
edit
]
Tego Calderon
Puerto Rican
rapper, songwriter and actor
[13]
Ramon "Papo" Brenes journalist
[14]
Alexandra Fuentes
Puerto Rican
actress, model, TV/radio host and candidate's wife
[15]
Jaime Espinal
freestyle wrestler
and Olympic silver medalist
[16]
Chicky Starr
retired
Puerto Rican
professional wrestler
[17]
Karla Monroig
actress, model, TV/radio host
[18]
Personal life
[
edit
]
Bernier married actress and host
Alexandra Fuentes
in 2007. They have two children together: a son, Adrian David,
[19]
and a daughter, Miranda.
[20]
Bernier has stated that reading the work of
Gabriel Garcia Marquez
influenced his personal ideology by helping him understand the "Puerto Rican reality with the Latin American context".
[21]
Under his leadership, the Department of State held an homage to the author on April 23, 2014.
See also
[
edit
]
Notes
[
edit
]
- ^
Caquias Cruz (2015; in Spanish) "En el hogar de la familia Bernier Rivera, en la urbanizacion San Benito de este municipio, habia ayer unos padres nerviosos ante la expectativa del anuncio que en la tarde de hoy dara el quinto de sus seis hijos, al que llaman Quique."
[1]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
Caquias Cruz, Sandra (2015-12-16).
"Jubilo y expectativa ante el anuncio de David Bernier"
.
El Nuevo Dia
(in Spanish)
. Retrieved
2015-12-16
.
- ^
"Bernier inicia el Tour Colorao en Las Marias"
.
El Nuevo Dia
(in Spanish). 2016-02-28
. Retrieved
2016-02-28
.
- ^
a
b
"Puerto Rico: Pro-Statehood Candidate Ricardo Rossello Wins Governor Race"
.
NBC News
. 2016-11-08
. Retrieved
2016-11-16
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
Biografia, Secretario de Estado, Hon. David E. Bernier Rivera
(in Spanish),
Department of State of Puerto Rico
, archived from
the original
on 2013-08-06
, retrieved
August 3,
2013
- ^
Bernier se postula en la casa de sus padres
- Bernier family. PressReader
- ^
Ruiz, Gloria (November 15, 2015).
"David Bernier anunciaria manana su candidatura"
.
El Nuevo Dia
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
"David Bernier: del deporte a la politica"
.
El Nuevo Dia
. November 16, 2012. Archived from
the original
on January 21, 2013.
- ^
Cortes, Ricardo (September 10, 2008).
"Acevedo Vila reconoce la labor de Bernier"
.
El Nuevo Dia
. Archived from
the original
on January 22, 2013.
- ^
Carlos Gonzalez (2008-10-01).
"Bernier barrio en la eleccion a presidente del Copur"
.
Primera Hora
(in Spanish). Archived from
the original
on December 5, 2008
. Retrieved
2008-10-01
.
- ^
a
b
"Bernier sera el nuevo Secretario de Estado"
.
El Nuevo Dia
. November 15, 2012. Archived from
the original
on November 19, 2012
. Retrieved
November 15,
2012
.
- ^
Alex Figueroa Cancel (2008-02-01).
"Bernier dio el si"
.
Primera Hora
. Archived from
the original
on April 2, 2015
. Retrieved
2008-02-01
.
- ^
Del Valle, Sara (November 15, 2012).
"El COPUR podria tener la primera mujer presidenta de su historia"
.
El Nuevo Dia
. Archived from
the original
on November 18, 2012
. Retrieved
November 16,
2012
.
- ^
El Nuevo Dia (2016).
"Tego Calderon defiende su endoso a David Bernier"
. Retrieved
2016-01-06
.
- ^
Agustin Santiago (2016).
"Papo Brenes apoya candidatura de David Bernier"
. Retrieved
2016-09-12
.
[
permanent dead link
]
- ^
Metro (2016).
"Alexandra Fuentes inicia caminatas para apoyar a su esposo"
.
- ^
Univision (2016).
"Jaime Espinal endosa a David Bernier y defiende su decision"
. Retrieved
2016-09-16
.
- ^
Redaccion NoticiasPRTV (2016).
"Luchador Chicky Starr se une a campana de David Bernier y asegura que sera el proximo gobernador de PR"
. Retrieved
2016-10-09
.
- ^
El Vocero (2016).
"A plenitud Karla Monroig"
. Retrieved
2016-11-02
.
- ^
Hector Aponte Alequin (February 16, 2007).
"Primera Hora: Salsa Estudiantil con Fin Educador"
. Archived from
the original
on September 29, 2007
. Retrieved
June 19,
2007
.
- ^
"Nace la hija de Alexandra Fuentes y David Bernier"
.
Primera Hora
. December 27, 2010. Archived from
the original
on February 1, 2013.
- ^
Fullana Acosta, Mariela (2014-04-23).
"Puerto Rico celebra la obra de Garcia Marquez"
.
Primera Hora
(in Spanish)
. Retrieved
2015-12-16
.
External links
[
edit
]
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- Italics
indicate acting officeholders
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