Winners & Losers
This week’s biggest Winners & Losers
Who’s up and who’s down this week?
New York City Mayor Eric Adams continued his City of Yes victory lap last week, riding that win to establish a second Charter Review Commission and set the stage for another fight with the City Council. Also making a comeback: more sloppy campaign finance records from the mayor, which point to heavy spending on airfare, hotels and jewelry. At this point, who knows what else he spent campaign funds on – Juan Soto’s new 15-year, $765 million contract? Or maybe the $7 carton of eggs that astounded Gov. Kathy Hochul at an Albany grocery store? Only time will tell.
Adriano Espaillat, Grace Meng & Yvette Clarke -
Move over San Francisco, because New York City is taking Washington by storm. These three members of Congress were elected chairs of influential congressional caucuses, adding to the city’s already strong Capitol Hill clout. Rep. Yvette Clarke is the new chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, Rep. Adriano Espaillat is chairing the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and Rep. Grace Meng will chair the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus. Just shows that everyone loves New York.
Robert Carroll & Brad Hoylman-Sigal -
Gov. Kathy Hochul signed Assembly Member Robert Carroll and state Sen. Brad Hoylman–Sigal’s bill to require private insurance companies to cover key testing for dyslexia – the first law of its kind in the nation. It’s a professional and personal achievement victory for both men; Carroll has been diagnosed with dyslexia, as has Hoylman-Sigal’s daughter. As New York’s reading test scores continue to recover, the two lawmakers will be able to point to some hope for students and teachers.
Andrew Cuomo -
Like him or hate him, you can’t deny that a dropped lawsuit is a good thing for former Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Charlotte Bennett, a former staffer who said Cuomo harassed her, dropped her federal lawsuit against the former governor. Bennett said that Cuomo used “invasive” subpoenas and “abusive” court filings to humiliate and harass her throughout the process, and she finally had enough. Cuomo, who denied her allegations, said he did not vindictively use lawfare against his accusers. Either way, he now has one less thing to worry about now as he contemplates a return to public office.
Alvin Bragg -
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has proven himself to be someone unperturbed by potential political blowback. All the same, his controversial decision to prosecute Daniel Penny for the killing of Jordan Neely stirred an outcry that only grew louder after a jury acquitted the former Marine of all criminal charges. While Bragg said he respects the verdict, Republican Rep. Mike Lawler has called for Bragg – who previously scored a conviction against President-elect Donald Trump – to be removed from office by Gov. Kathy Hochul.
Brad Lander -
Well well well, look who suddenly can’t keep track of his paperwork. Not the punctilious, proudly nerdy New York City comptroller! Brad Lander’s mayoral campaign didn’t file a key document to the city Campaign Finance Board in time to cash in on ample expected matching funds. They swear it was an honest mistake, and they did file it just a few days after the November deadline. But… it also means Lander gets one more month to think about whether he’s sure he wants to run for mayor after all.
Janno Lieber -
The New York City subway is supposed to deliver riders from point A to point B. It’s never a good day for the MTA chair when rescue workers have to shuttle people through underground tunnels to make that happen. A power outage disrupted service on a handful of lines during rush hour on Wednesday night, stranding some 3,500 riders on two stalled F trains. But hey, don’t worry about that. Check out the sick new MTAxInstagram MetroCard collab.