Winners & Losers 1/15/16

Assemblyman Charles Barron stole the show when he rose up and challenged Gov. Andrew Cuomo during the State of the State address. But does that make him a champion of the downtrodden or a “professional heckler?” With plenty of other Winners & Losers this week, we’ll just agree that “Charles is Charles” and leave it at that.  

WINNERS

Charlie Baker – Like the Red Sox snatching away a star Yankee, the governor of Massachusetts came out of left field to convince GE to move its headquarters from Connecticut to Boston after Cuomo seemed poised to get the company to relocate to the Empire State. While the headquarters in Beantown will only house 800 employees, it does give Boston and the state of Massachusetts another chance to gloat over their rivals to the south.

Andrew Cuomo - Despite being heckled, Cuomo got to stand up this week and make his flashy State of the State and budget address. Arguably more important than that, U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara released a statement saying his office found “insufficient evidence” of a crime when Cuomo dismantled the Moreland Commission. Still, it was not the most reassuring language, especially with a probe in Buffalo ongoing, but we’re sure the governor breathed a sigh of relief.

Carmen Fariña and Kriner Cash- In a state where news about education results is often greeted with apprehension, the school leaders of New York City and Buffalo earned good marks this week. While Cash saw Buffalo graduation rates rise to their highest point in 10 years (although the numbers are still under investigation), Fariña got to celebrate New York City’s graduation rates exceeding 70 percent for first time in the Big Apple’s history. Maybe New York state is finally graduating to the educational big leagues.

Jason Robins and Nigel Eccles – It may not be a touchdown, but you can call it a field goal. The daily fantasy companies DraftKings – which Robins runs – and Eccles’ FanDuel will now be allowed to operate in New York while the state’s appellate court rules on whether daily fantasy constitutes gambling. But based on how this case has gone back and forth, we're not betting either way on how this one turns out.

Scott Stringer – Stringer had put a spotlight on poor conditions at New York City shelters in recent weeks, and now he’s in the spotlight himself. He had a strong supporting actor role in the State of the State this week, with the governor granting him more power to oversee shelters in New York City. Mayor Bill de Blasio insists that there’s nothing that’s actually changing, but Stringer has to be thrilled that the governor gave him more ammunition for his own rivalry with the mayor – and to make life better for the city's homeless, of course.

LOSERS

Tony Avella – Despite recently serving as the state Senate’s Ethics Committee chairman, Avella did not feel it was his place to pontificate on a real estate firm tangled up in the corruption cases that felled both state legislative leaders last year. Avella said he was unaware that Glenwood Management’s Senior Vice President Charles Dorego received a non-prosecutorial agreement, but the senator’s ignorance is surprising considering he and Dorego testified in court the same day. Plus, he appears to have some ties to the company, which has contributed to his campaign.

William Bratton – Perhaps the NYPD commissioner should a consider using a buddy system when it comes to issuing – or not issuing – public statements. On Monday, protesters railed against remarks Bratton made last week suggesting that women pair up when taking cabs and public transit at night amid a rise in reported rapes. Then an alleged gang rape in a Brooklyn seized the public’s attention this weekend. The community asked why it was not notified of the Thursday incident sooner, and Bratton conceded his team should have been more forthcoming.

Earlene Hooper – Hooper, the deputy speaker of the Assembly, is once again the state Legislature’s top recipient of per diems – receiving $26,180.93 in 2015. State Sen. Velmanette Montgomery gets dishonorable mention for topping the list in the Senate chamber, racking up $21,463.45 for per diems and other travel expenses. While the high reimbursements don’t mean the two legislators did anything wrong, the per diem system has long been an area of trouble for Albany lawmakers. Just ask former Assemblyman William Scarborough.

Patrick O’Connor – The Whitesboro Village mayor’s decision to poll his constituents on a municipal seal widely criticized as racist was so perplexing that the Daily Show popped in. O’Conner’s constituents collectively voted to keep the image of a white man apparently choking a Native American man. This advisory vote will likely make any move from the current seal more politically fraught for O’Connor.

Marc Panepinto – With ethics reform being the most talked about issue for the 2016 legislative session, now is not the greatest time for a report that the Buffalo state senator raised tens of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from lawyers who were arguing cases before his wife. Panepinto maintained his innocence and defended the contributions, but ultimately the only person whose opinion matters is U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara. Stay tuned.