Winners & Losers
This week’s biggest Winners & Losers
Who’s up and who’s down this week?
It’s budget time in New York, and you never know what you may run into in the Capitol. Maybe Dolly Parton is on a flat screen television for a press conference on books. Perhaps you pet a goat. It’s possible you’ll meet rap legend Nas. But certainly don’t expect a timely budget – that’s a little too outlandish even for Albany! The state budget is due on April 1, but with a short-term budget extender now in place until April 4, lawmakers got the thumbs up to head home for the holiday weekend. You may never know what to expect in Albany, but the dysfunction is a tried and true companion.
Janno Lieber -
Just like the Little Mermaid, Manhattan wants to be where the people are. It wants to see, wants to see them dancing! The MTA finally voted last week to approve its plan for – what do you call it? – congestion pricing! Cars, you want to be up where they walk, up where they run, up where they stay all day in the sun? It’ll cost $15 to be part of that world (pending the results of multiple lawsuits). In any case, MTA CEO Janno Lieber is sure making a splash!
Shawyn Patterson-Howard -
Mount Vernon’s elected officials got raises approved this week for the first time in nearly two decades. Chief among them was Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard, who got a $57,000 raise taking her earnings to $200,000 per year. Her 40% increase means she’s no longer the 111th-highest paid official in Mount Vernon, making less than police lieutenants and school principals.
Laura Gillen -
George Santos may be out of office, but national Democrats aren’t taking their eye off Long Island. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee added New York’s 4th Congressional District to its “Red to Blue” program that concentrates resources on competitive seats it hopes to flip. New York’s 17th and 19th congressional districts already made the cut for that extra attention from the DCCC. Now, former Hempstead Town Supervisor and Democrat Laura Gillen will benefit from additional “organizational and fundraising support” in her bid to oust Republican Rep. Anthony D’Esposito.
Louis Molina -
Only six months into his new gig as assistant deputy mayor for public safety, Louis Molina was hoping to leave the Big Apple for the sunny skies of Oakland. However, the police chief job went to a Texan, marking another loss for the embattled administrator. Gothamist broke a story about the long history of sexual abuse at Rikers Island, some of which occurred on Molina’s watch. And one of his top Correction Department hires was fired by the current commissioner.
Chance Glenn -
Even Liz Truss got the chance to spend a few Scaramuccis at the top. SUNY officials rescinded Chance Glenn’s appointment as the next president of Buffalo State University before his first day. Glenn’s appointment was canceled after questions were raised by faculty at the University of Houston-Victoria, where Glenn is currently provost, about potential conflicts of interest. Interim president Bonita Durand now gets the chance to stay on for two more years.
Chuck Schumer -
Not even the U.S. Senate majority leader can withstand the NIMBY-ism of a New York City community board. In a tale as old as time, Manhattan Community Board 1 recently rejected an e-bike charging station slated to be built outside of City Hall – a proposal backed by federal dollars secured by Chuck Schumer himself. Why turn down a project intended to spare e-bike users from the potential fire danger of charging batteries in their homes? Aesthetics, apparently.