Winners and Losers 05/29/15

While his wife strolled along the Arno (more on that in a bit), Bill de Blasio was on a whimsical jaunt of his own—to Albany. He left empty-handed, but didn’t make our losers list because a) has he ever had any luck in the capital? and b) with all the actual crime in our losers list, there just wasn’t any room. Read on, and don’t forget to vote!

WINNERS

Dan Garodnick – Dan’s the man! The New York City Council this week unanimously approved the East Midtown rezoning, a project in Garodnick’s district that was on hold since it stalled at the end of the Bloomberg era. A pivotal piece of the plan is One Vanderbilt, a 63-story office building that can now be built near Grand Central. Addressing concerns from Garodnick and others about an already overloaded transit system, developer SL Green will put $220 million toward better access to the subways and other upgrades.

Loretta Lynch - If you thought Albany was corrupt and dysfunctional, meet the Fédération Internationale de Football Association, or FIFA. Much like the state Capitol, for decades people have known that the governing body of the world's most popular sport was a cesspool of bribery and kickbacks, but no one did much about it. Until this week. Overnight, the new U.S. Attorney General, and former U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, became an internationally known figure. Standing up to the behemoth that brings us the World Cup every four years has press in all corners of the globe fawning over her. While she very well may go on to do many other great things in her career, Lynch will always be remembered for this. 

Chirlane McCray  – Ah, Florence. “Firenze” to the Italians. Birthplace of the Renaissance, inspiration to the likes of Botticelli, Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci. That’s where New York City’s first lady Chirlane McCray is right now, basking under the Tuscan sun on a $6,500 trip paid for by NYU—which has been facing opposition on its planned $6 billion expansion in the Village. But don’t worry, no conflict of interest there, says the city’s ethics board. In the meantime, we hope Bill de Blasio’s better half enjoys recreating the “Eat” portion of “Eat Pray Love”; we hear the Italians enjoy their pizza with a fork and knife.

Carl Paladino – The man famous for, among other things, threatening to “take out” the Post’s Fred Dicker, took a you-get-more-bees-with-honey-than-vinegar approach when Buffalo teachers brought a confrontation to his front door this week. The prickly former gubernatorial candidate bought pizza and attempted to hand it out as the educators who, as part of an event organized by the Buffalo Teachers Federation, picketed in front of Paladino’s South Buffalo home, urging the board of education member and his colleagues to move on negotiations over their contract. Unfortunately, not many of the protestors were keen on his peace offering. Wonder what he did with the leftovers.

George Pataki  – Hardly anybody expects the former governor of New York to win his long-shot bid for president, and there are plenty of questions why he's jumping in the race now after having left elected office years ago. But if it's about becoming part of the conversation again and getting back into the mix, Pataki has quickly achieved those goals. And hey, he has surprised us before, notably knocking out Mario Cuomo for the governorship in Albany. 

LOSERS

Andrew Cuomo –  Last weekend, he was blasted by the press for his email summit.  Then, to add insult to injury, Cuomo's approval rating dropped to a record low in the latest Siena poll. And while he outflanked Bill de Blasio once again, it wasn't enough to counteract the popularity problem.  

Steven Kuhr – The state’s former emergency management chief had a hard time figuring out what actually qualified as an “emergency” when Superstorm Sandy hit, directing a crew to remove a tree from the yard of his Suffolk County home—even though nobody was there—while some roads still needed to be cleared for emergency vehicles. He was fired back in 2012, and this week, following a state investigation, the ethics commission fined him $4,000 for his Super-selfish ways.

Steve Pigeon – The one-time Erie County Democratic Committee chairman and long-time Western New York political operative has been at the center of an investigation from the FBI and state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman which came to a head late this week when he had to open his condo up to agents who took a few items with them before departing. Former Buffalo First Deputy Mayor Steve Casey, a Pigeon confidant, and Christopher Grant, Rep. Chris Collins’ chief of staff, played host to the feds as well. We will have to wait and see what comes of the raids, but it's never a good week when the FBI is in your home. 

Larry Seabrook – The ex-Bronx councilman sure knows what it’s like to be kicked while your down. Manhattan Federal District Court Judge Kevin Castel ruled that Seabrook must forfeit his pension to pay off a $418,000 judgment from his 2012 federal corruption conviction. Prosecutors said Seabrook’s latest bank balance was under $10,000, so they began eyeing other assets as a way to recoup the $418,000. A day after taking a financial hit, Seabrook’s bid to overturn his conviction was struck down by an appeals court.

Norman Seabrook – There are a few words you never want to read or hear in New York State right now: Preet Bharara is investigating you. That's what the Correction Officers’ Benevolent Association boss is dealing with this week, as the U.S. Attorney's office reportedly subpoenaed the union’s financial records. The feds are apparently investigating whether Seabrook received kickbacks from firms that do business with the labor union, including free trips to Israel. Seabrook, however, sad he is confident the probe will show no wrongdoing.