Winners and Losers 01/02/15

All of New York is on the losing side this morning, as we mourn the death of Mario Cuomo. Whether you agreed with him or not, he served the state for three-terms and left a lasting legacy on the Empire State. As we remember him, here are your winners and losers from the holiday season.   

WINNERS

Antonio Argibay and Alvaro Khalil Cumberbatch - For these two men, receiving a pardon from Gov. Andrew Cuomo on New Year’s Eve was a blessing, as they no longer have to worry about potential deportation. Cuomo has been stingy in issuing pardons, but said Argibay and Cumberbatch were chosen from a list of 171 other applicants because they had contributed positively to society since their releases from prison. 

Joe Bruno - Last week, Democratic Attorney General Eric Schneiderman ruled that the former Republican state Senate Majority Leader was entitled to $2.4 million in reimbursement for legal expenses stemming from his two criminal trials. Bruno had paid for his legal expense mostly by using funds from his political campaign committee and by setting up a legal defense fund. Now, in an outdated quirk of the law, his long-defunct campaign committee will likely receive around $1.45 million of the reimbursement. Although Democratic state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli still has to sign off on the settlement, Schneiderman’s office clearly not happy; in the decision that released the money, his chief lieutenant Harlan Levy called the end result “unseemly.”

Hillary Clinton – Given the choice between Hillary Clinton, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio, New Yorkers said in a Quinnipiac poll they would rather ring in the New Year with Clinton. Although, considering who she’s up against, that might not be that huge a compliment … 45% of New Yorkers said they’d rather hang out with of none of them.  

Laura Johnson - Even though she has been hammered in the press, mostly by the Post, Mayor de Blasio reappointed the Judge to another term in Brooklyn Criminal Court—ignoring the bad headlines she received for releasing without bail two men accused of threatening police in the days after the assassination of NYPD officers Liu and Ramos. Johnson, whose term was set to expire at the end of 2014, adhered to the rule of law. But police advocates—and even the mayor himself at the time—denounced her decision to free them in light of the city’s tense atmosphere. Luckily for Johnson, her actions didn't impact her future. 

Lee Zeldin - It is a hard thing to unseat the snazzy state Sen. Kevin Parker when it comes to attire. But in 2014, Parker lost his title as best dressed New York Pol in lawyer Brad Gerstman's annual list to his Long Island Republican colleague who is now off to Washington as the newly-elected Congressman representing NY's 1st District. Parker fell to number three. No word on whether the Brooklyn Democrat is restocking his bow-tie collection. 

LOSERS

Bill de Blasio - The mayor and the city’s police officers have been locked in a sad and angry public conflict for weeks now, since the assassination of NYPD officers Liu and Ramos. The mayor and police union leaders met on Tuesday to calm tensions, but the meeting reportedly ended with the cops angrier than ever. While his progressive politics may still be en vogue, he will find it hard to get a lot done in 2015 if the city's residents don't feel the safety the police provide. So he needs to solve this problem as fast as possible. 

James Brennan and Andrew Lanza - Lawmakers in New York and New Jersey unanimously approved legislation this year to overhaul the troubled bi-state Port Authority, which has been under scrutiny ever since the Bridgegate scandal broke. But the real authorities when it comes to the authority are Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Gov. Chris Christie, who this week vetoed the legislation, which was sponsored in Albany by Lanza and Brennan. Lawmakers pledged to try again, but the governors seem pretty satisfied with their own plans for the Port Authority.  

Rep. Michael Grimm - This is far from the first time Grimm has made our losers list, but it possibly could be the last. The Staten Island representative finally resigned this week after pleading guilty to felony tax fraud. That’s bad enough, but editorial boards and long-time critics heralded his departure from politics, further tarnishing his legacy. We can only hope Grimm doesn’t do anything more to land himself on our list. 

Thomas Madison - The Thruway Authority’s executive director is out of gas—and out of a job. But while he joins a stream of Cuomo appointees exiting at the end of the governor’s first term, Madison’s departure may be tied to an investigation into the Thruway by the state inspector general and a potentially damning report that is forthcoming. Of course, with politically fraught questions about potential toll hikes to pay for the new Tappan Zee Bridge still unanswered, it may simply be an opportune time for Madison to pursue other opportunities. 

Sheldon Silver - The Assembly Speaker got the Times treatment this week in the form of a front page story disclosing that the feds are investigating suspicious payments he got from a small law firm.  It is unclear whether it will pose much of a threat to Shelly’s continued leadership, as reports of his demise repeatedly proved to be greatly exaggerated. But more broadly, while the Moreland Commission on Public Corruption has been disbanded and ethics reform is likely dead on arrival in 2015, the issue clearly isn’t going away.