Winners & Losers 8/7/15

De Blasio’s New York or Cuomo’s New York? The simmering feud between our city and state’s respective leaders reached its passive-aggressive peak with this week’s poll showing that the governor still rules the roost in de Blasio territory. But the only poll that really matters is who won or lost this week in politics, and rather than quizzing a subset of likely voters, we’ll open it up to the people to decide. Take a look at our nominees and be sure to vote!

 

WINNERS

Andrew Cuomo - The polls don't lie! Well, I guess some may be misleading, but Quinnipiac's poll this week showing that the Gov is more popular than the state's second most powerful Democrat (arguably), Bill de Blasio, is not the first public survey to suggest this trend. The poll also found that fast food workers were overwhelmingly happy that Cuomo moved to increase their salaries to $15 an hour. And on top of all that, he was also able to hand out a $17 million project to the struggling Southern Tier with 600 hundred promised jobs. Politically, that's about as good as it gets these days.  

John DeFrancisco – The Syracuse-based politician was tapped by state Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan to become his No. 2 man in the state Senate, replacing previous deputy leader Tom Libous following his conviction of lying to federal agents. DeFrancisco may have lost the fight for the top spot, but his elevation to the 2nd spot isn't a terrible consolation prize. 

Diana Holland – This week the West Point graduate became the first female General at Fort Drum—and the first female general officer of a light infantry division in the Army—when she was honored on the occasion of her promotion. While Fort Drum was again informed that one of the most deployed camps in the U.S. would again be sent to Iraq, just a day after news of her promotion, the fort continues to be a stalwart in the North Country and the nation, and it has a new leader.

Brian McGraw Could you, would you, on a train? Most mothers would not, could not, give birth in such a public place, but Marwa Abdrabo came close to doing that when the PATH didn’t get her to a hospital in time. Abdrabo only made it as far as a Manhattan PATH platform, where McGraw, a Port Authority cop, stepped in to help deliver a healthy baby girl. Talk about going above and beyond the job requirements. 

Andrew Nussbaum The de Blasio administration this week agreed to re-route the access ramp to a controversial garbage facility in Manhattan to avoid a local playground and sport center. Protesters have long opposed the East 91st Street marine transfer station, and a key complaint was that garbage trucks would cut through Asphalt Green, where many children play. Some opponents trashed the compromise, but Nussbaum, Asphalt Green’s chairman, called it a “huge sigh of relief.”

 

LOSERS

Dr. Mary Bassett – The city health commissioner seems to have forgotten advice is free, even when it comes from top officials at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Under Bassett’s guidance, city health officials did not appear to move quickly while dealing with the deadly Legionnaires’ outbreak in the Bronx. The Daily News quoted experts asking why the city didn’t request a CDC team deployment. The death toll rose to 10. And then Gov. Andrew Cuomo called the feds in.

Bill de Blasio – The governor eclipsed the mayor on his home turf yet again. First, Andrew Cuomo racked up a 58-36 approval rating from a Quinnipiac University poll, while de Blasio’s rate sunk to its lowest yet, at 44-44. Cuomo also called in a crew of U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to deal with a spate of Legionnaires’ disease deaths in the Bronx shortly after the Daily News ripped the mayor for not seeking the Centers’ free assistance. Oh, and the Post is back to scrutinizing how reliable de Blasio is when it comes to keeping scheduled appointments.

Wilmer Cueva and Alfonso Prestia – In a rare move, a grand jury passed on financial penalties and instead indicted the two employees of Sky Materials Corp. and Harco Construction LLC, respectively, on charges of manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and reckless endangerment for causing the death of Carlos Moncayo, a 22 years old undocumented immigrant from Ecuador. The criminal complaint alleges that Cueva and Prestia ignored safety warnings, including a frantic plea from an inspector to stop work on the site the morning of the accident. Prosecutors say their lack of action led to Moncayo's death in a collapsed construction trench.

Marc Gerstman - An Adirondacks-focused environmental group leveled an ethics complaint against the state Department of Environmental Conservation for what it says was “illegal advocacy and lobbying” in 2013 on behalf of a mining company, and while the DEC insists that its actions were both legal and appropriate. The Acting Commissioner may not have been responsible for this mess, but he still has to put up with some bad press this week. 

Sam Hoyt and Ron Rienas More fighting at the aptly named Peace Bridge Authority? We are shocked! This week the vice chairman and the general manager were again at odds. Recently Rienas, on his own accord, filed suit with American PBA members, seeking documents related to legal fees. The ensuing legal fight, during which the Americans fought to have documents remain confidential. The total cost of that fight exceeded $400,000. In the end, the only winners in this plot are the attorneys.

 

 

WINNERS:
LOSERS:

NEXT STORY: Winners & Losers 7/31/15