Winners & Losers
This week’s biggest Winners & Losers
Who’s up and who’s down this week?
It’s officially Adams vs. Adams now that New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams has formally announced her entry into the mayoral race. That is, if Mayor Eric Adams actually runs for reelection, which may not be a given, despite what he says. And of course, it’s actually more like Adams vs. Adams vs. Cuomo vs. et al. Because a certain former governor ALSO made his election bid official within the last week, as there’s never a moment’s reprieve in the recent breakneck news cycle. But as always, that news cycle doesn’t treat everyone equally.
John Sarcone III -
Some unsuccessful candidates for Westchester County district attorney and state Supreme Court fade into obscurity. Not John Sarcone III, who was just picked by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to be the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District. As the sprawling district’s top federal prosecutor, he can always invite Florida native Bondi to Syracuse to check out the Orangemen or compare the state fair’s giant slide to the one Bondi once enjoyed with her Florida Cabinet colleagues.
Andrew Cuomo -
New York politics’ favorite nepobaby is finally back in the spotlight now that he’s officially running for mayor. A steady stream of endorsements of the former governor are flooding in, while the first public poll of the race shows him leading all other candidates by double digits. The downside? Other candidates are training their ire on him, and a growing anti-Cuomo movement is protesting his events and trying to remind voters about the sexual harassment allegations against him. And his daughter lost her Manhattan apartment.
Suri Kasirer -
Kasirer LLC dominates this year’s annual NYC lobbying list, with $17 million in total compensation from more than 200 clients – including big names like Charter and Northwell Health. This marks year eight of the firm’s president/founder/namesake Suri Kasirer being the city’s top lobbyist. What’s her secret? According to Kasirer, it’s picking projects that she and her firm “really believe are important for New York” and partnering with those who “strive for excellence.”
Eric Adams -
“Far from over” or far behind? Mayor Eric Adams insists supporters need not lose hope in his reelection chances, but the only thing Adams made history for this week was a woefully low approval rating. A new Quinnipiac poll put the incumbent mayor’s approval at just 20% – a record low for any New York City mayor since Quinnipiac began polling nearly 30 years ago. And while Republicans went easy on Adams during a recent House hearing on sanctuary cities, he faced the most heat from fellow Democrats – you know, representatives of the party whose primary he’s running in this June.
Manny Pastreich -
No employer is perfect, but it’s really not a great look when a union is accused of busting its own staff union. 32BJ President Manny Pastreich finds himself in that situation after the politically powerful labor group’s internal staff union filed an unfair labor practice complaint with the National Labor Relations Board. Usually, 32BJ would be the ones fighting with (allegedly) bad-acting employers, but now it seems the shoe is on the other foot.
Daniel Martuscello III -
During the corrections officer strike, state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision Commissioner Daniel Martuscello III has had to rely on National Guard members to staff prisons and pay non-striking officers very generous overtime pay, which cost the state $3.5 million per day. Meanwhile, conditions inside the prisons have become dire, and seven inmates have died since the strike began – including one allegedly beaten to death by corrections officers. After talking directly to striking guards, he may have managed to finally reach a deal to end the strike. But after earlier attempts fell through, he was surely still feeling uneasy as he offered them a final ultimatum.