Bad boys, bad boys, whatcha gonna do? The feds finally came for state Sen. John Sampson and indicted him on Monday on embezzlement charges. A federal court document also revealed the names of five additional state senators, plus a city councilman, whom state Sen. Shirley Huntley secretly recorded in cooperation with the FBI. Oh, and last Friday, Assemblyman William Boyland got indicted. Again. Our losers list is spilling over, but we’ve pared it down to bring you the Winners and Losers of… [More]

  Our thoughts and prayers are with Boston this week, where a horrific attack on its marathon and its citizens united the country in empathy for the victims. The world of politics can seem meaningless in the wake of irrational and wanton destruction. But the Northeast has recovered from acts of terror and will show its resolve once again. Aside from the tragedy, as always, we have your winners and losers. Can’t get enough of our winners and losers? Tune… [More]

The next mayor of New York City has the unenviable task of settling outstanding municipal labor contracts, and with few resources to do so.… [More]

After largely steering clear of the media on Tuesday, Manhattan Republican Party Chairman Dan Isaacs turned up at the party’s 3rd annual “Spring Fling” fundraising event and addressed the  legal trouble that has ensnared state Sen. Malcolm Smith, City Councilman Daniel Halloran, Queens Republican Party Vice Chairman Vincent Tabone and Bronx Republican Party Chairman Jay Savino. Isaacs read a statement he had already emailed to his supporters earlier in the day yesterday, saying that the alleged crimes demonstrate that “corruption… [More]

  One contestant is a surly 46-year-old speaker who refused to give member items out of spite but just agreed to pass paid sick leave. Another is an embattled 77-year-old district attorney who is starring in his own reality show but has trouble training his prosecutors to follow the law. And a third is a back-stabbing 55-year-old newsman who earned America’s ire for forcing a rival out of her job, thus causing his ratings to drop like an anchor. Who’s… [More]

The key players and issues regarding transportation infrastructure.… [More]

  The state budget did not go into overtime, but there were a number of buzzer beaters this week. Top-seeded Gov. Andrew Cuomo outpaced 16th-seeded David Paterson’s legacy in the first round, but trailed eighth-seeded gun rights advocates at halftime due to sloppy turnovers. The ninth-seeded minimum wage hike ran away from the eighth-seeded small business employers, who sought to limit its scoring to under $9 an hour, and barely slipped by top-seeded Senate Republicans, who forced the wage’s restaurant workers to foul out. But 420th-seed Assemblyman… [More]

It’s the calm before the storm at W’s, early evening on a Saturday night, the eve of St. Patrick’s Day. Across the city, droves of drunken co-eds and 20-somethings booze their way from one pub to the next, part of what is now ostensibly a two-day drinking holiday, with no semblance of Irish heritage being honored outside of green attire. But W’s keeps it old-school—corned beef and cabbage on the menu, taps of beer flowing, and scores of locals slowly… [More]

  Country clubs and dollar bills, Bloomberg’s got more money, soda shots you can get refills, but he’s got more money. The soda ban’s popularity is going down in recent polls, and he’s still got more money. At four o’clock Bloomberg vowed to appeal the court’s decision, and he still got more money. Sugar makes the world go around, soda bans make Pepsi’s lobbyists frown, lot more campaign cash where that came from, the look in your eyes I know… [More]

Four of New York City’s Republican candidates for mayor and one Independence Party candidate touched on a wide range of issues Wednesday morning at a breakfast forum hosted by Crain’s New York Business, the first panel this election cycle to not include a single Democratic candidate. The candidates began the debate by assigning Mayor Michael Bloomberg a numeric grade, on a scale of 1 to 10, and despite Bloomberg’s moderate politics, most gave the mayor high marks, with Independence Party… [More]