Winners & Losers 10/27/17

Some weeks, it’s hard to scrounge up even five Winners & Losers. Other weeks, there are so many we could easily double it to 10. This is one of those weeks we had plenty of options, so folks like the New York City Board of Election’s Michael Ryan, Assemblyman Dan Quart and state Sen. Diane Savino and even the aptly named Carol Cashdollar didn’t make the cut. To see who did, read on.

WINNERS

Adrienne Abbate – Some advocacy groups lobby on a lot of issues, while others push for just one or two. Adrienne Abbate’s organization has been more focused, and the narrow scope appears to have paid off this week when the MTA decided to ban advertisements for beer, wine and liquor on subways and buses. The name of Abbate’s group? Building Alcohol Ad-Free Transit.

Rob Astorino – The Republican Westchester County executive brought his fighting words during Tuesday’s debate with his Democratic rival, state Sen. George Latimer, targeting his opponent for having unpaid taxes on a house owned by his wife. This attack dog strategy seems to be working, as billionaire Robert Mercer gave $1 million to a super PAC supporting Astorino. The committee also spent more than $400,000 on ads criticizing Latimer – although a poll for the Democratic challenger shows a neck-and-neck race.

Barry Diller – Metaphorically rising out of the Hudson River like a waterlogged zombie, the media mogul’s once-dead Pier 55 is alive! Thanks to some dealmaking from Gov. Andrew Cuomo – whose preferred metaphor was the biblical Lazarus – opponents of the Meatpacking District’s park-topped pier have dropped their lawsuits, and our touching goodbye from last month will be but a footnote in the dramatic tale of Diller Island.

Brad Feldmann – You may not have heard of Cubic Transportation Systems, but it’s the company behind New York City’s MetroCard – and now, thanks to a $573 million contract awarded this week, they’ll be developing a sleek, new tap-and-go system to replace it. Of course, it being the MTA, the new system will be phased in over a matter of years. Then again, some people still think you can use a token to catch a ride.

Jeff Glor – Upstate New York has quite a reputation for producing national news anchors. Tim Russert, the longtime host of NBC’s “Meet the Press,” famously was from Buffalo, and current ABC evening news anchor David Muir hails from Syracuse. The latest addition to the list is Jeff Glor, a Tonawanda native who was just named the new anchor of the “CBS Evening News” – and he certainly hasn’t forgotten his roots.

LOSERS

Hiram Beza, Alexander Kogan & Dean Mulzac – An investigation by the New York City Department of Investigation and the Brooklyn District Attorney's office alleges that Beza and Mulzac, city building inspectors, and Kogan, an asbestos investigator, took bribes to issue reports saying buildings they inspected were clean. Acting Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said that these workers took advantage of his borough’s increased popularity and expensive rents – so hipsters moving into Bed-Stuy may want to check under their sink.

Vincent Boudreau – City College of New York’s interim president was supposed to be have the “interim” dropped from his title during a CUNY board meeting. But powerful Harlem community leaders, including former Gov. David Paterson and former Rep. Charlie Rangel, protested, saying they were not consulted and that Boudreau had been deemed “unworthy” by the initial search committee. It should have been a slam dunk promotion for Boudreau, but now his qualifications and his future have been called into question.

Dick Dadey – Sometimes the "Law & Order" episodes write themselves. Good government gadfly and con con zealot Dick Dadey turned himself into police Tuesday morning after cops found crystal meth and ecstasy while raiding his home on a child pornography tip. The longtime Citizens Union executive director lost his job and his reputation, but the Dadey truthers say the raid was a political hit job, which begs the question: does anyone hate the goo-goos that much?

Peanut – Nicole Malliotakis’ press conference prop/pet chihuahua Peanut did exactly what you’d from expect a yappy little pup, stepping in the Staten Island mayoral candidate’s path and causing her to fracture her foot. Now Malliotakis has to campaign in a boot, but this could be the shake-up that turns around her uninspiring campaign. Sympathy votes? Dog-lover votes? Orthopedist votes? She’ll take what she can get.

Thomas Spota – The embattled Suffolk County district attorney was indicted this week for his alleged role in a sordid tale involving his protege, former Suffolk County Police Chief James Burke, who in 2012 beat up a drug addict who stole sex toys and pornography out of Burke’s police SUV. Now the longtime DA is being charged with covering things up. Spota, who’s suddenly set to resign, is now finding out what it’s like to be on the other side of the law.