This week’s biggest Winners & Losers

Her opponent may have been backed by New York City Mayor Eric Adams, but Monique Chandler-Waterman pulled out a landslide win in the 58th Assembly District special election this week with roughly 80% of the vote – a whopping 1,896 votes. (Hey, it’s a special election, what do you expect?). The nonprofit founder and former Test and Trace Corps director better like campaigning, because she has to run again in next month’s Democratic primary if she wants to keep serving in 2023.

Former President Donald Trump lost his attempt to avoid testifying under oath before investigators from the state Attorney General’s office on Thursday. An appeals court unanimously ruled in favor of AG Letitia James’ office, meaning Trump, along with his daughter Ivanka and son Donald Jr., will all have to face questioning from prosecutors in their case alleging the Trump Organization falsely inflated the value of its real estate assets. Last week, Trump was forced to pay more than $100,000 in contempt-of-court fines for failing to hand over company documents in accordance with subpoenas her office issued.

Assembly Member Yuh-Line Niou was supposed to challenge Kavanagh for his state Senate seat in what was supposed to be one of the most high-profile primaries of the year, but Niou instead has jumped into what is actually shaping up to be the most-watched congressional race of the summer. Following the release of final redistricting maps, Niou announced she would compete in the crowded race for Congressional District 10. And Kavanagh’s other one-time would-be challengers from the left, Alana Sivin and Illapa Sairitupac, are stuck running to fill Niou’s Assembly seat.

Robin Hood stole from the rich to give to the poor, under the eye of the Sheriff of Nottingham. While New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ pick for sheriff may have stolen from city coffers to make himself $1,320 richer. Politico caught Anthony Miranda giving himself a generous interest rate on a short term loan to his 2021 council run. That’s a bad look for someone who’s supposed to be going after tax cheats. 

The American gun lobby is a powerful, seemingly undefeatable force – a fact that’s been drawn into sharp focus this week, if not every week before it. But in New York, gun manufacturers, distributors and sellers – and a trade organization representing them – suffered a defeat this week. A federal judge tossed a lawsuit from the gun industry over the state’s law allowing firearm sellers, distributors and manufacturers to be held civilly liable for gun violence. State Attorney General Letitia James called the ruling “a moment of light and hope,” after recent mass shootings in Texas and Buffalo.

Corrupt leaders heading homeless shelter providers have become ubiquitous in New York City. And one of the latest revealed culprits – no, not that one – was recently sentenced to more than two years in federal prison for taking $1.2 million in kickbacks throughout his time heading the Bronx Parent Housing Network. On top of that, several of the women who have accused Victor Rivera of sexual abuse and harassment have also filed lawsuits against him. Here’s to hoping city officials don’t leave it to the New York Times to uncover such bad actors in the future.