Winners & Losers
This week’s biggest Winners & Losers
Who’s up and who’s down this week?
Maybe all the cop shows that are set in New York City get our minds spinning, but when a fire engulfed the NYPD’s evidence facility in Red Hook, it wasn’t hard to jump to the conclusion that somebody WANTED to see it all burn. We don’t have all the answers yet on the cause, but we know that it’s a tragedy that some of the cold cases may never be solved now. But for the people who didn’t want them to be solved? As always, one man’s winner is another man’s loser…
Mike Gianaris and Linda Rosenthal -
New York pet stores should perhaps stock up on fish, mice and lizards - with Gov. Kathy Hochul now having given her approval to a legislative ban, they’ll soon be banned from selling dogs, cats and rabbits. Leading the charge of getting the “puppy mill” bill passed was state Senator Mike Gianaris and Assembly Member Linda Rosenthal who argued alongside support that the legislation would prevent the buying and selling of animals from large-scale breeders engaging in inhumane practices. Now here’s hoping the New York City Council will tackle the state’s exploding guinea pig population next.
Pat Lynch -
A true public servant, New York City Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell listened to the will of the people and decided that her officers need LESS oversight and FEWER consequences. And by “people” we apparently mean Police Benevolent Association President Pat Lynch, who, unlike many union leaders, has showered management with praise, naming Sewell PBA Person of the Year. With her move to weaken disciplinary guidelines, you can see why.
Ignacio Galán -
When it comes to Eric Adams’ chief of staff, did you think conflicts of interest were a thing of the past? Ha! When Camille Joseph Varlack was appointed earlier this month, many had reasons to celebrate. That includes the chairman of Avangrid, a renewable energy company that’s part of the Spanish conglomerate Iberdrola. Varlack joined the board of directors of the Orange, Connecticut-based company earlier this year, and Bloomberg reported she will continue to sit on the board in her new, highly influential role. Pretty sweet deal for Ignacio Galan.
Alessandra Biaggi and Amanda Septimo -
It was far from a week of celebrations for climate enthusiasts, outgoing state Sen. Alessandra Biaggi and Assembly Member Amanda Septimo. The pair's air toxins bill, which would have established limits on air contaminants by the state, was vetoed by Gov. Kathy Hochul for lacking originality. In the governor’s veto message to the state Senate, Hochul wrote the major sources of toxic air contaminants included in the bill were already being regulated on both the national and statewide level.
Brendan Sexton and Bhairavi Desai -
Uber has swooped in to spoil the holidays for ride-hail drivers in New York City, driver union leaders Brendan Sexton and Bhairavi Desai said. The ride-hailing giant sued to block a planned pay raise for drivers in New York City and succeeded in halting the bump after arguing that the raises were calculated unfairly and that they would force the company to pass the costs on to riders. The Taxi & Limousine Commission said that it will continue to fight for the raise in court but for now, we’re not expecting a Grinch-style Christmas morning change of heart from Uber.
Deanna Logan -
The Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice’s portfolio is getting a shake-up. The City reported this week that oversight of contracts for neighborhood safety initiatives like violence interrupters is being moved from the Office of Criminal Justice to the Department of Youth and Community Development. The move, as the office’s former head suggested, leaves some question about whether the administration has a clear idea of what the Office of Criminal Justice’s purpose should be.