Winners & Losers 7/31/15

Vice President Joe Biden paid a visit to our great state this week, giving away federal cash whereever he went--though he only went to Rochester and Queens. It was a great opportunity for lawmakers to get some face time with the VP and grab some headlines... but were they able to parlay that into a spot on our Winners & Losers list? Read on to find out... and be sure to vote!

WINNERS

Patrick Burke – The freshman lawmaker from Buffalo was able to accomplish in the Erie County Legislature what Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand have failed to do at the state and federal levels; push through a ban on plastic microbeads that threaten the Great Lakes and other waterways. Not bad for  a first year legislator in the minority Democratic caucus.

Nathan Douglas, Termaine Garden Jr., Donald Philbert and Thomas Meredith – There’s a railroad station on Long Island called Copiague. Now say it out loud. “Copiague.” You hesitated, didn’t you? But that’s why these LIRR announcers rode home with more than $200,000 apiece last year for basically talking into a microphone. Well, that and a trainload of overtime. Makes you want to practice your “Syossets,” doesn’t it?

Pat Foye - Vice President Joe Biden called LaGuardia a 3rd World airport a year ago. This week he handed the Port Authority $4 billion to change that. A lot of people are happy about this influx of cash including the PA Executive Director who has been waiting for some good news for a while.  

Zephyr Teachout – The 2014 Democratic primary candidate who ran against Gov. Andrew Cuomo as an “anti-corruption” candidate that would fight big money in politics has started a new effort … by becoming CEO of a Mayday PAC, a super PAC created to end super PACs. Maybe the new phrase will be “It takes money to end money.”

Lovely Warren – You know you are having a good week when you get a visit from Joe Biden. It’s even better when he’s in town to announce a $650 million federally funded photonics center that will bring with it a slew of high paying jobs. On top of all that the VP was cracking Abby Wambach jokes and said “there’s no place more promising than Rochester."

LOSERS

Andy King & Ruben Wills – The New York City Councilmen got called out by the Daily News for having the worst attendance records and missing about one-third of their mandatory hearings at City Hall. The tabloid insinuated the duo’s absences could relate to legal issues, which both denied, but its never a good thing when you are forced to deny a claim like that.    

Joan Illuzzi and former U.S. Rep. Michael McMahon – Both candidates seeking to become Staten Island’s top prosecutor failed to file their ethics reports on time. I guess normally that's not a big deal, but ethics is sort of important if you are running for District Attorney, right? We’re sure they’ll show that same kind of leniency to the defendants they prosecute in court. 

Rebecca Lynch – The New York City Council candidate probably should have made sure to ask if any of her paid canvassers were convicted sexual offenders before the Post revealed the criminal history of one employee who was going door-to-door to collect signatures for her run.  It's not the type of press you want in a special election when you'd rather be shaking hands then distancing yourself from a convicted drug dealer. 

John Sampson – There’s no time like the threat of a prison sentence to begin counting blessings. And the former state Senate democratic leader might want to start by meditating on that fact following his conviction of attempting to impede a federal investigation last Friday.  Prosecutors’ called for a sentence of a decade or longer could provide him with plenty of time for reflection.

Crystal Peoples-Stokes – In a bizarre scenario, Time Warner Cable News aired a statement attributed to the veteran assemblywoman responding to racist comments from a Buffalo Common Council candidate, but the next day the station got a call from her staff saying she had never said what was run in the report. TWC News insists they used a cell phone they had on file for the assemblywoman, so the best outcome for Peoples-Stokes is that there is someone pretending to be her, because the alternative would be worse for the politician. She may not of brought this problem on herself, but it definitely made for a difficult week.