This week’s biggest Winners & Losers

Buffalo’s the City of Good Neighbors but Mayor Byron Brown’s City Hall and Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz’ Rath Building don’t always have neighborly vibes. This week, though, may not restore “that lovin’ feelin’” but pushes them a little closer to that Top Gun Maverick-Goose bromance territory. They received word that President Joe Biden had approved a disaster declaration for December’s deadly blizzard. The pair announced plans to restore full hours to the downtown branch of the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library, after the library board cut back hours due to safety concerns.

Don’t call it a comeback … but Ed Cox is officially back! After weeks of speculation, the state Republican Party officially elected Cox as its chair again. Cox led the state GOP for a decade, but was largely criticized for Republicans’ poor performance in 2018. While facing a call for his resignation at the time, Cox decided to work with his frenemy Donald Trump. All of the drama may be water under the bridge now as Cox has high hopes for Republicans heading into the 2024 election cycle.

Sometimes you really can cash in if you get hit by a car. New York City has agreed to pay $75,000 to Aaron Ross, a 35-year-old resident of Sheepshead Bay. Why? Because he was rammed by a New York Police Department cruiser while he was protesting against police brutality in 2020. It’s a bittersweet victory, according to Ross. He’s happy to have won, but frustrated police won’t face criminal charges.

Two women accused the Queens Assembly member of sexually assaulting them on the same night in 2015 at a party of Fordham University students and alumni. Ardila has since put out three statements. While the first was a “no comment,” Ardila apologized in his next two comments, saying that he has “matured” since college. Queens Chronicle’s Sophie Krichevsky noted that the Assembly member was not in college at the time. A series of Queens electeds have called on Ardila to resign.

The Board of Correction failed to deliver on the Correction commissioner’s package of proposals – including a ban on anyone incarcerated at Rikers Island from receiving physical mail – after newly appointed members refused to even bring them to a vote. But don’t write off Molina just yet. After Eric Mayor Adams appoints new members to the BOC later this year, the body may once again rubber-stamp his ban.

The governor, the state Senate and the Assembly did not agree on much when it comes to the state budget. But unfortunately for Michelle Hook, executive director of New Yorkers for Affordable Energy, state leaders did agree that buildings in New York should be completely electrified. Hook’s industry group, including National Grid, many labor groups and the Independent Oil & Gas Association of New York, among others, was opposed to the All Electric Buildings Act, which will ban all gas hookups in new construction by 2027.