This week’s biggest Winners & Losers

The former lieutenant governor emerged as a top winner this week after federal prosecutors dropped corruption charges against him. The move comes after a key cooperating witness died and prosecutors said they could no longer prove their case. The end of the criminal prosecution could be the first step in a political comeback for Benjamin. He need look no further than Monday’s events in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda for inspiration of political life after a criminal case.

In acknowledgement of New York City’s growing Tibetan community, the City Council approved Council Member Julie Won’s bill to suspend alternate-side parking for Losar, the Tibetan Buddhist Lunar New Year. It’s a big deal – one that drew a celebratory crowd to City Hall. Won said the passage is especially important as the Trump administration moves to crack down on immigrants. “We do recognize you, we want to celebrate the culture and the religion and the history that you all bring,” she said.

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman is seeing red, but in a good way. His trademark policy banning transgender women from participating in women’s sports at public facilities was upheld in state Supreme Court after civil rights groups challenged it. On top of a legal win that will be celebrated by conservatives on Long Island and beyond, his campaign coffers are looking especially healthy after he raised more than $720,000 in the second half of 2024.

Crime doesn’t pay, but stealing overtime at the NYPD did until recently. New Commissioner Jessica Tisch is cracking down on excessive overtime, and Manhattan prosecutors allege that longtime NYPD Lt. Thomas Fabrizi stole more than $64,000 from the department in falsely filed overtime pay. The DA’s office said Fabrizi billed for overtime while traveling to his Rockland County home. Maybe he considered it worthy of overtime pay because Diana Ross’ “Workin’ Overtime” came on the radio.

It’s hard to know exactly what Trump’s new executive order halting new offshore wind projects will mean for New York, but it definitely won’t be anything good. The state is already struggling to hit its climate goals with existing offshore wind projects hitting roadblocks and key deadlines for green energy looming. Doreen Harris, the head of the state Energy and Research Development Authority, probably has enough headaches as it is. With the new EO, she may want to reach for the Excedrin.

Hating your landlord is practically a rite of passage in New York City, and the worst landlord of them all last year was Barry Singer, according to Public Advocate Jumaane Williams. The Bronx and Brooklyn property owner is listed as having averaged 1,804 open violations with the Department of Housing Preservation and Development; the average for the 100 worst landlords on Williams’ watchlist was 146 violations.