Winners & Losers
This week’s biggest Winners & Losers
Who’s up and who’s down this week?
Bill de Blasio is moving to Manhattan, but maybe he should’ve considered Elmira, where he can pick up a six-bedroom, six-bath estate for under $500,000 and relive his Gracie Mansion days. Elmira has been named the country’s most charming small city by All Star Home, a North Carolina home improvement company. Elmira’s joined in the top ten by Corning, Utica, Binghamton and Watertown. Elmira Mayor Dan Mandell is thrilled and said the city has plans to have the country talking about Elmira. And now for a look at those who are charmed – and not so charmed.
Joseph Borduin -
After relaying the tragic news that the annual Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade would be canceled this year and indefinitely, organizer Joseph Borduin announced that the dog days are not in fact over. Initially, skyrocketing permitting costs for the parade and park construction were insurmountable for Borduin. But after public outcry, some assistance from the mayor’s office and the help of a sponsor, the parade is officially back on, and promises to be bigger than ever.
Elise Stefanik -
The king is dead, long live the queen? Kevin McCarthy’s ouster as speaker has left House Republicans in chaos and Rep. Elise Stefanik could be the phoenix rising from the ashes. Stefanik, the number four House Republican, is considered a likely candidate for majority leader, should Majority Leader Steve Scalise become the new speaker. She’s already got the backing of Indiana Rep. Jim Banks. Next question, can any House GOP leader do what British Prime Minister Liz Truss couldn’t, outlast a head of lettuce?
Chris Alexander -
After two years of the stop-and-go rollout of the recreational pot market that garnered extensive criticism, the state is finally launching the full, regulated market by opening up licensing applications to everyone. It comes after the Office of Cannabis Management, which Chris Alexander heads, adopted extensive guidelines and regulations for the marketplace for the first time. The hope now is that following such slow growth that led to only a handful of retail shops across the state, cannabis will become much more legally accessible in the near future.
Jamaal Bowman -
Perhaps Rep. Jamaal Bowman has forgotten one of the cardinal rules he no doubt trumped during his days as a middle school principal: only pull a fire alarm if there is, well, an actual fire. Perhaps, if the horde of critics are to be believed, he did it intentionally in hopes of delaying a critical vote. Be it an innocent mistake or a calculated political decision, one thing is for sure. There is indeed a fire – though this blaze of public opinion is one of Bowman’s own making.
Eric Adams -
Who runs this town? Despite Mayor Eric Adams’ new favorite entrance music, the answer wasn’t clear last Friday, when record-breaking rainfall submerged parts of the city, flooding basements, roads and subway stations. Adams didn’t address the city about the well-forecasted extreme weather until almost noon on Friday, when flooding was already well underway. Adams has vehemently defended his response, but he’s been awash in criticism for appearing to be caught flat-footed in responding to yet another extreme weather event, and is now facing oversight probes from both the City Council and Comptroller Brad Lander.
George Santos -
Unlike U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez, Rep. George Santos has never been accused of taking gold bars from Egyptian spies. But he’s still facing 13 counts of federal wire fraud and other white-collar crimes. Things got worse for him this week when his former campaign treasurer Nancy Marks pleaded guilty to a federal conspiracy charge and accused him of filing false campaign reports. Santos could learn the same lesson as Donald Trump: it’s never a good sign when your former accountant is talking to federal prosecutors.