Winners & Losers
This week’s biggest Winners & Losers
Who’s up and who’s down this week?
Certain New York politicos hit a single snag or scandal and they disappear from the scene (We are still waiting to hear more from Dianne Morales, Scott Stringer, Brian Benjamin). While other New York politicos seem to have the ability to just roll with the punches – scandal after scandal after scandal. This week we heard Andrew Cuomo is considering running for mayor! He’s got $7 million leftover in the bank after using millions on sexual harassment lawsuits. And honestly we’ve seen weirder.
Jenifer Rajkumar -
Let there be light! Gov. Kathy Hochul has officially signed off on Assembly Member Jenifer Rajkumar’s historic legislation to make Diwali a holiday in New York City public schools. The celebration of light over darkness and good over evil originated in South Asia and is a powerful time for many New Yorkers. As Rajkumar put it? "We can finally say to over 600,000 Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh and Jain Americans across New York City, 'We see you.’”
Tim Kennedy -
Pro-tip for state Senate Transportation Chair Tim Kennedy, the Cannon Building in Washington is closest to the Capitol South Metro Station which is a quick trip to Reagan National Airport. Barring a catastrophic trainwreck of biblical proportions, Kennedy appears to be well on his way of walking into the sapphire blue seat of retiring Buffalo Rep. Brian Higgins. Second pro-tip for Kennedy, get to Buffalo Nite early, the traffic for Charlie the Butcher is horrendous.
Zellnor Myrie and Catalina Cruz -
Clean Slate sponsors state Sen. Zellnor Myrie and Assembly Member Catalina Cruz rejoiced as Gov. Kathy Hochul signed their bill on Thursday. While the new law will increase opportunities for formerly incarcerated New Yorkers, it might also boost support for Myrie who said he’s been approached several times to run for New York City mayor.
Eric Adams -
New York City Mayor Eric Adams has had a pretty rough week or so. Last Friday, New York’s political world was rocked by the news that the FBI had seized the mayor’s phones as part of an investigation into foreign influence and donations to his 2021 mayoral campaign. Since then, the mayor hasn’t been able to make a public appearance without being questioned about the probe. His allies and associates Brianna Suggs, Rana Abbasova and Winnie Greco all came under scrutiny in the past week too.
George Santos -
Thanks to the rigor of the House Ethics Committee, we now know where Long Island Rep. George Santos gets his botox done. And honestly, the serial liar’s skin looks great, so shout out to Virtual Skin Spa. The committee’s damning report on the dissembling Long Island rep found substantial evidence of federal criminal law violations, and Santos announced he will not be running for reelection in 2024, adding fuel to the fire of already hot primaries to replace him on both sides of the aisle.
Jimmy Oddo -
Gov. Kathy Hochul is not known for her temper, but she said in a statement that she was “outraged” that Amtrak service took so long to restore after the Department of Buildings discovered structural issues in a privately owned parking garage over the tracks. Add this to New York City Building Commissioner Jimmy Oddo’s plate after another parking garage collapsed in lower Manhattan earlier this year. But hey, look on the bright side. Unlike his predecessor and some of his colleagues in the Adams administration, at least Oddo isn’t being investigated!