Winners & Losers
This week’s biggest Winners & Losers
Who’s up and who’s down this week?
After booking it back from the State Fair in Syracuse, where she met with trooper horses and boa constrictors alike, Gov. Kathy Hochul joined her staff to face off against members of the press in a friendly game of the younger sibling of America’s favorite pastime: softball. After a ceremonial first pitch by surprise guest U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, the governor and her team proceeded to give it their all – with Hochul even sustaining an injury. But they were ultimately bested by Albany’s hardworking press corps. Unfortunately, Hochul didn’t visit New York City Mayor Eric Adams and his mountain of burning kush before the game, so it couldn’t be used as an excuse for the final score.
John Mannion -
State Sen. John Mannion may now be the best positioned candidate to flip a red seat as he campaigns in the 22nd Congressional District, but his position was tenuous in June when former staffers accused him of fostering a toxic workplace. The state Senate did its own investigation and found he didn’t violate their policies, leaving Mannion with one less thing to worry about in his Central New York race.
Bruce Blakeman -
It didn’t take Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman long to see the fruits of his mask ban labor. Within a month of signing a new law criminalizing mask wearing in the suburban Long Island county, the first such ban in the state, police made their first arrest. Blakeman held a press conference to celebrate the milestone – and while prosecutors ultimately did not charge the man for wearing a ski mask, he still faces a weapons charge.
Christine Johnson -
The president of UAW Local 2300 at Cornell University has a lot to celebrate this Labor Day. Christine Johnson led over 1,200 university staff – including groundskeepers, custodians and food service workers – on a successful week-long strike against the Ivy League university. In the end, the union struck a deal that will give workers up to a 25% raise, plus increased benefits. Next time, the university administration should ask their famed Labor School for advice before upsetting those who keep Cornell clean and fed.
Nicole Torres -
Turns out taking kickbacks … kicks back? At least, that’s the case for Bronx Nicole Torres, a Republican district leader in the Bronx and (now former) New York City Board of Elections employee who was recently charged with extortion, fraud, bribery, identity theft and more for allegedly taking kickbacks to place residents in temporary poll-worker positions. Federal prosecutors say Torres allegedly sold the jobs to Bronx residents for a lovely $150 apiece. Talk about an abuse of public trust.
Randy Mastro -
You have to be a special kind of determined to subject yourself to an 11-hour job interview for a position that you’re probably not going to get. For Randy Mastro, an hours-long grilling at the eager hands of the City Council has likely been for naught. Mastro’s testimony doesn’t seem to have persuaded any council members to approve his nomination for corporation counsel – and a surprise appearance by Bridget Anne Kelly testifying against him certainly didn’t help. At least Mastro still has a lucrative Big Law job.
Thomas F. Rathbun Jr. -
The stars and bars might leave Salisbury Town Justice Thomas F. Rathbun barred from the bench. The state Commission on Judicial Conduct found out he kept a Confederate flag in his judge’s chambers and discovered his online history of racist memes and partisan material. In addition to acting like a 14-year-old on 4chan, Rathbun also forgot to complete mandatory judicial training.