Winners & Losers
This week’s biggest Winners & Losers
Who’s up and who’s down this week?
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While the Bethpage Air Show ended early last Sunday due to haze, it was still so popular that the state police declared Jones Beach at capacity and erected a blockade no army could penetrate. Aliens may even have attended! The Intrepid proved a popular alternative for Memorial Day staycationers with activities to entertain everyone from 7-year-olds to history buffs. Next year though, New Yorkers may head to Washington’s National Zoo with the return of pandas. Shout out to New York’s No. 1 panda champion, former Rep. Carolyn Maloney!
Alvin Bragg -
Alvin Bragg hasn’t always had an easy go of it as Manhattan DA. But his legacy is now sealed. He’s the first prosecutor to successfully bring charges against a former president after a Manhattan jury returned 34 guilty verdicts in all felony counts of falsifying business records. One thing is for sure: The name Bragg will live on in infamy or esteem depending which side of this extremely polarized political climate you’re hanging out in for the rest of eternity.
Maurie McInnis -
President of an Ivy League university may not seem like a dream job at this moment, but Maurie McInnis is going after it anyway. The current president of Stony Brook University is moving up (geographically, at least) to become president of Yale University, making her the first permanent female president of the school. Here’s hoping McInnis, who has received praise for her work at Stony Brook, remembers her roots. New York is the pizza capital of the world, not New Haven.
Demetrius Crichlow -
Talk about playing the long game. Richard Davey may be leaving New York City for a prestigious new position with Massachusetts Port Authority, but New York City transit is slated to get a new interim president – an actual lifelong New Yorker! That’s current New York City transit subway head Demetrius Crichlow, who started working for the MTA in 1997 as a signals maintainer on the Long Island Rail Road. Transportation clearly runs in the family – Crichlow’s father and grandfather also worked for the MTA.
Steve Cohen -
It's official: State Sen. Jessica Ramos will not support billionaire Steve Cohen's Citi Field casino proposal. Ramos believes a casino in Queens is not exactly “premiere economic development.” So, after years of setting up the groundwork for his casino bid, will Cohen finally give up on this hot project? Not even close. Karl Rickett, a spokesperson for the project, says his team is “committed” to making this casino happen.
Amy Paulin -
Assembly Member Amy Paulin appeared to have a lot of support for her “Harvey Weinstein bill,” launched in the aftermath of the disgraced movie moguls’ New York rape conviction being thrown out. The bill would’ve seen past sex offences introduceable as evidence in state rape cases, but legal buffs in her chamber put the brakes on things after taking issue with some of the bill’s language. The support of Deputy state Senate Majority Leader Michael Gianaris couldn’t save it, even after he pushed it through his own chamber. With the bill likely dead, Paulin fears rape prosecutions will plummet in New York with out the boost from lawmakers.
Chris Alexander -
After three years of drama and inefficiency, Office of Cannabis Management head Christopher Alexander finally called it quits. In the wake of a devastating internal review of the office released earlier this month, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced that Alexander would leave on Sept. 1. But he didn't even make it that long, and now the struggling agency lacks clear leadership.