Winners & Losers
This week’s biggest Winners & Losers
Who’s up and who’s down this week?
Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free – and then hand them a bus ticket to the Hudson Valley? That seems to be Mayor Adams’ plan for dealing with more asylum seekers seeking refuge in New York City. Still, the mayor looks like Mother Teresa next to Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus, Rockland County Executive Ed Day and Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente Jr. – who want to ban hotels and shelters in their counties from offering housing to migrants. Read on and you’ll find at least one Hudson Valley politico with similar sentiments who's earned himself a spot in the winners column.
Mike Lawler -
The omnipresent Hudson Valley congressman may be one of House Democrats’ top 2024 targets but this week he had signs of a bipartisan Biden bromance brewing. During President Joe Biden’s Westchester visit he praised Lawler - who was in the audience - as “the kind of Republican I used to deal with” and said Lawler is “not one of those MAGA Republicans”. Not the words Democrats want to hear, but music to a swing district Republican’s ears.
Joe Percoco -
The third Cuomo son is free and clear of corruption charges thanks to the U.S. Supreme Court. After the appeal of his conviction made it to the nation’s highest court, Joe Percoco, the former top aide to Andrew Cuomo, got his record wiped clean when the justices overturned the jury decision. Percoco spent a few years in federal prison after that initial conviction, and even though he’s out now, the SCOTUS decision is still vindicating. Too bad his former boss isn’t around anymore to give him back his job.
David Banks -
If New York City Schools Chancellor David Banks penned an essay about his week, the themes would probably be bold swings and hope ahead. Sounding the alarm over lagging literacy scores he attributed to the city’s “fundamentally flawed” approach, Banks introduced sweeping curriculum changes to reading instruction. Not only was the plan met with excitement from many parents and unlikely supporters across the political spectrum, new projections for next academic year indicate that public schools’ dramatic pandemic-era enrollment declines are at last mostly stabilizing.
George Santos -
In five short months, Republican Rep. George Santos has become an outcast in his own party and one of the more unpopular lawmakers on Long Island. Now, federal prosecutors have charged the first-term Congress member in a 13-count indictment, alleging that he used political donations to pay for luxury goods and committed unemployment fraud, among other brazen schemes. Santos pleaded not guilty to all charges and will appear before a judge at the end of June where he will attempt to present himself as a, uh, credible individual.
Andy King -
King Charles will rule the U.K. until he dies. King, Andy, however, is subject to term limits. Such is life after the American Revolution. A lot of people think the former New York City Council member SHOULD not run for his old Bronx seat, given that he was expelled for numerous reasons, including harassing staff. But it was an appeals court that ruled King CAN not run, at least in 2023. Appeal is possible, but unlikely. The King’s campaign is dead, long live the King.
Donald Trump -
A jury was convinced that the former president sexually abused writer E. Jean Carroll about 30 years ago and then defamed her, ordering Trump to pay Carroll $5 million. Trump didn’t set himself up for success on this one. He did brag about grabbing women “by the pussy” on tape and then later seemed incapable of differentiating Carroll from his ex-wife in a photograph. So you could say he lost bigly. Carroll tweeted simply: WE WON.