Winners & Losers
This week’s biggest Winners & Losers
Who’s up and who’s down this week?
The “Talk with Eric” town hall last month got off to a rocky start when the mayor compared a white 84-year-old tenant activist to a plantation owner after she asked him about rent hikes. The mayor often quips that his critics spend too much time at home in their pajamas tweeting, not showing up and getting to work for the city. But by that metric, the woman he chastised at the town hall is a model citizen! Jeanie Dubnau showed up in person, and she’s done so before, giving former Mayor Bill de Blasio a hard time about housing at one of his public events. With that record, Dubnau deserves Eric’s stamp of approval.
Thomas Apholz -
It’s no time machine, but $191,762 is a nice conciliation. That’s how much wastewater treatment worker Thomas Apholz was awarded after a jury found that Amsterdam city officials discriminated against him when they fired him three years ago for testing positive for marijuana. Doctors had prescribed Alpholz the drug to help him cope with chronic back pain, meaning his usage was protected under the Compassionate Care Act. Sure, the jury’s verdict means Apholz is eligible for reinstatement to his $49,000 a year job, but here’s hoping that the nearly $200,000 sum will give him the runway to figure out whatever the next best steps are for him.
Tony Avella & Kristy Marmorato -
He’s back again. That’s right, former New York City Council Member and former state Sen. Tony Avella has earned a rematch against Republican Council Member Vickie Paladino in Queens after pulling ahead of his primary opponent after the first round of ranked choice counting. And he didn’t even need to pull out the machetes to win. Fellow candidate Kristy Marmorato, running in a Bronx Republican primary, also declared victory after a narrow election-night lead. It might have taken a little longer than in the past, but solidifying a victory without resorting to a recount still must feel sweet.
Chirlane McCray -
After 30 years of heteronormative marital bliss, the McCray/de Blasio household is dipping their toes into the world of ethical non-monogamy. For Chirlane McCray, who once penned an essay entitled “I Am a Lesbian” before relenting to the pursuits of notoriously not-a-woman Bill de Blasio, the change in relationship status might be a breath of fresh, feminine air. In a 2013 interview, shortly after de Blasio won his first term as mayor, McCray had this to say about whether she was still attracted to women: “I’m married, I’m monogamous, but I’m not dead.” Well, she ain’t monogamous anymore, and she told the Times, “I just want to have fun.” So we say welcome back, Queen. See you at Ginger’s.
Eric Adams -
On this week’s episode of “Get Stuff Done,” the mayor compares a woman to a slaveowner on a plantation for pointing a finger at him at a town hall. And it turns out she’s an 84-year-old molecular biologist who fled from the Nazis. Later, a City Hall secret is revealed by the Times’ report that Adams’ staff provided cover for the mayor’s claim that he had carried around the photo of a murdered cop in his wallet for years – by printing a photo and “aging” it with coffee grounds like an art project. Cue the laugh track. Roll credits.
Ari Kagan -
“Ari Kagan voted to defund the police,” is certainly not a narrative that the Republican New York City Council member wants circulating as he faces a competitive election in southern Brooklyn this fall. But Kagan’s vote against the adopted budget last week has given opponents ammo to spin it that way, as the budget includes pay raises for cops and increases overall police funding. Kagan was the only Republican council member to vote against the budget. His reasoning? In part, it doesn’t help municipal retirees facing changes in their health care plans, he said.
Louis Molina -
New York City jails, overseen by Commissioner Louis Molina, are deteriorating, a Department of Correction report released Wednesday found. The report included a time where a fire broke out in a cell and there were no working fire alarms to warn the staff, while photos attached to the report show literally crumbling facilities. Just two days before, a Rikers inmate died of a drug overdose, and several jail employees are facing discipline for their handling of it.
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