Winners & Losers 6/17/16

Gov. Andrew Cuomo is set to end the session with something of a mixed bag, getting a number of bills passed but failing on others, like the renewal or replacement of 421-a and several ethics reforms he championed. (Anyone remember that LLC loophole?) Likewise, Mayor Bill de Blasio is expected to get mayoral control of schools extended, if only for another year. But before the final end-of-session deal is actually announced, here are this week’s Winners & Losers.

 

WINNERS

Melissa Fleischut The state served up a round of free publicity for earlier brunch hours coming to establishments across the state. With few dramatic debates developing in the final days of the legislative session, much of the media focused on more mundane measures, such as one that will allow establishments to serve alcohol starting at 10 a.m. on Sundays. Fleischut, the Restaurant Association president and CEO, heralded the so-called brunch bill’s passage with an obligatory message of “Cheers!”

Steve McLaughlin – There still haven’t been hearings on Hoosick Falls, months after the public found about about the tainted drinking water – and the state Health Department has known for even longer. So it wasn’t insignificant that McLaughlin and some of his constituents rallying at the Capitol got a sit-down meeting with a key Cuomo administration official after initially being met with a locked doors (both literal and figurative). Assembly Republicans have to take what they can get from Cuomo, and McLaughlin is proving himself a fighter for Hoosickers. And they are not giving up.

George Amedore, Terrence Murphy & Robert Ortt – Even though in a normal year something like a bill combating the heroin and opioid epidemic would pass relatively easy, in this year’s lethargic session the three co-chairs of the state Senate Heroin Task Force deserve praise for helping move the package of reforms through for the governor’s signature. The fight against the drugs continues, as some lawmakers noted, but here’s hoping that these bipartisan measures have their intended effect.

James Dolan – With cord cutting the talk of the town, now’s a good time to be getting out of the cable industry. Big-time Cuomo donor and Cablevision owner James Dolan is one step closer to doing just that, as state regulators finally gave the multibillion-dollar deal the go-ahead. With one big business off his hands, Dolan may have more time to focus on making the Knicks – which he owns – a better team. But he may still have other concerns, like going on tour or keeping new employee Joe Percoco out of jail.

Roberta Reardon, Rossana Rosado, Basil Seggos and Maria Vullo – There’s Senate Republicans, and then there’s Senate Republicans. While state lawmakers spent much of the week haggling over issues like booze at brunch and illegal gambling, they also had the decency to confirm a number of appointees, including Reardon as labor secretary, Rosado as secretary of state, Seggos as commissioner of the state Department of Environmental Conservation, and Vullo as superintendent of the state Department of Financial Services.

 

LOSERS

Margaret Markey – The Daily News gave unprecedented news coverage this year to the assemblywoman’s campaign to pass the Child Victims Act, but all the visibility apparently hasn’t swayed the state Senate Republicans. The legislation, which would have eliminated the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse crimes, appears all but dead, barring a last-minute reversal.

Josh Mohrer – Once again, a bill that would permit ride-sharing companies to operate in upstate communities, where it is supported by 75 percent of the populace, appears to have stalled in the state Legislature. While Mohrer and Uber have succeeded in beating back regulations in New York City, they have hit the brakes time and again in Albany, where the ridesharing bill was caught up in a clash between unions, insurance companies, trial lawyers and taxi drivers over insurance rates for the companies. Maybe the next big app Uber’s founders can create will be one that solves the one of America’s biggest problems – government gridlock.

Shola Olatoye – Contradicting NYCHA’s claims that only 17 of its apartments have harmful levels of lead in the paint, the Daily News uncovered city Health Department documents that show children living in 133 NYCHA apartments have been tested and found to have elevated levels of lead in their system. Elected officials have already responded, with one gathering at the Pomonok Houses to call for immediate action. And the NYCHA chairwoman will likely encounter similar pushback from parents, who are not soothed by the authority’s explanations of how the lead testing techniques vary.

Gerald Vaughn – It doesn’t seem to be a good time to be a correction officer in New York City, at least if you’re bending the rules or outright breaking the law. Last week, ex-correction officers union leader Norman Seabrook was arrested on corruption charges. This week, three correction officers were convicted in a case involving the beating of an inmate at Rikers Island. The worst outcome was for Vaughn, a retired captain who was convicted of attempted gang assault and other charges. Now he’s got a chance to find out what it’s like to be on the other side of the bars – for up to 15 years.

Minerva Zanca – Queens is known for its diversity, and a school in the borough called the Pan American International High School is about the last place you’d expect a principal to be accused of racial discrimination. But if a federal lawsuit turns out to be true, it’s bad news for Zanca, who is accused of trying to get three black teachers fired. She has denied the claim, but the outcome isn’t looking good now that U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara’s involved in the matter.

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