Winners & Losers 10/21/16

The latest debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump wasn’t the only political spat to make headlines this week. Gov. Andrew Cuomo and state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli sparred over the state pension fund, and new arguments and counter-arguments have come out of the Bridgegate trial. But fear not, faithful readers! Whenever our federal and state leaders put politics above the people, there will always be Winners & Losers to put them in their place.

WINNERS

Kriner Cash – Little more than a year on the job, and the Buffalo schools superintendent was able to do what a long list of predecessors failed to accomplish: negotiate a new contract with the Buffalo Teachers Federation. The 12-year stalemate is said to be the longest in the history of state collective bargaining. Phil Rumore, the combative president of the union, even gave Cash a passing grade.

Eric Gonzalez – There’s a new prosecutor in Brooklyn, as Cuomo opted to let Gonzalez stay on as the borough’s D.A. through the end of 2017. That makes him a leading contender for election next year. It’s a tidy conclusion to the murky, behind-the-scenes maneuvering, and expectations are high for the late Ken Thompson’s first deputy, who helped usher some of the progressive reforms that earned Thompson nationwide praise.

Christine Quinn – Having shaken off the anybody-but-Quinn attack that undercut her during the 2013 mayoral primary, Quinn has embarked on an any-homeless-plan-but-de-Blasio’s PR crusade. Her role as head of the nonprofit homeless shelter provider Women in Need has given her a platform to lecture de Blasio, who portrayed her as elitist during the primary. This week alone, she’s gotten her message across in the Daily News, at an ABNY breakfast, and with our partners at NY Slant.

Wayne Spence – The president of the Public Employees Federation reached a tentative agreement with the state this week on a three-year contract that gives members wage increases of 2 percent each year of the contract. Of course, the PEF board and its members still have to ratify it, but it’s already a better deal than what his predecessors could get.

A.G. Sulzberger – A fifth-generation member of the family that’s controlled The New York Times since 1896, A.G. Sulzberger was appointed deputy publisher this week. That puts him in line to succeed his father as publisher and chairman and run one of the most prestigious newspapers in the country – although Donald Trump has a different perspective on its record. 

LOSERS

Bill de Blasio – The mayor started the weekend with a controversial helicopter ride from Prospect Park to a speech in Queens, and the whirlwind of bad news followed him all week. He said his administration would miss a major Build It Back goal – while the City Council contends funds were inappropriately appropriated. He acknowledged that a cop who fatally shot an elderly woman failed to follow protocol. And news outlets published updates on investigations into his fundraising.

Andrew Cuomo – The governor’s favorability ratings are holding up, but he had other letdowns this week. A lawsuit was filed to halt the state’s so-called Clean Energy Standard, including subsidies for upstate nuclear power plants. On top of that, he’s facing even more political backlash from his purported role in the Bridgegate trial. At least he got a “Classic Cuomo” revenge jab at the state comptroller.

Timothy Howard – Four years after the death of an inmate in the Erie County Holding Center, a state review board is calling the incident a homicide and encouraging state law enforcement agencies to investigate. Under Sheriff Howard, the holding center has been intensely scrutinized for the treatment of inmates, and his office was sued by the DOJ. It looks like the sheriff’s problems at the jail aren’t over.

Edward Mangano & John Venditto – Preet’s the sheriff of Albany, but Robert Capers is the sheriff of Long Island. A year into his job as U.S. Attorney for New York’s Eastern District, Capers filed bribery charges against Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano, Mangano’s wife Linda, and John Venditto, the supervisor of Oyster Bay. They’re innocent until proven guilty – but we bet the governor is figuring out how to distance himself from his latest ally to be embroiled in scandal.

Harry D. Silverstein – After second place finish last year, he made little effort in the off-season, and now Silverstein has officially made it as the WORST landlord in New York City! Truly a banner year for the three-borough terror, putting up impressive stats of eight buildings, 575 units and 2,032 open violations, for a truly ignonimous VPU (violation per unit) of 3.53. For your tenants’ sake, we hope it’s all downhill from here.