Winners & Losers
This week’s biggest Winners & Losers
Who’s up and who’s down this week?
It’s time to head on up to Syracuse, see the butter sculpture, admire New York agriculture, have fun on the midway, tour the exhibit halls, watch the state police rappel, catch some live music and don’t forget a sausage sandwich. The Great New York State Fair opened up this week, with interim director Sean Hennessey officially taking over as director. Though Hennessey may want to explain if the butter sculpture is just butter or butter on a wire mesh base like Illinois, Minnesota and Iowa do.
Pete Harckham & Dana Levenberg -
Imagine over a million gallons of radioactive waste water getting dumped into the Hudson River right near where you live and where your children play. Doesn’t sound great, right? Luckily for you, the governor has signed legislation from state Sen. Pete Harckham and Assembly Member Dana Levenberg to make that illegal. And it was a real possibility – the company decommissioning the Indian Point nuclear power plant was planning to dump lots of tritium-contaminated water into the Hudson. So the waters will stay safe of any Simpsons-esque mutant fish.
Jamaal Bowman -
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who told City & State he was a progressive last year despite his objections to the “socialist machine,” is breaking with his allies in the American Israel Public Affairs Committee to support “the Squad.” Reps. Jamaal Bowman and Ilhan Omar will have Jeffries’ backing against potential AIPAC-funded challengers, which was a bit surprising for someone who has called Jerusalem New York City’s sixth borough.
Tadodaho Sid Hill -
Admittedly, it is a low bar, but Gov. Kathy Hochul became the first governor in decades to visit the Onondaga Nation leaders this week. Tadodaho Sid Hill, one of the nation’s leaders, was able to advocate in person for the return of 1,000 acres of land at the headwaters of Onondaga Creek. He said he hoped the meeting was just the “beginning of a long fruitful dialogue towards restoring peace and justice on our lands.”
Louis Molina -
Is DOC Commissioner Louis Molina unable to fix the problems plaguing city jails or just unwilling? On Tuesday, Donny Ubiera died in his cell on Rikers Island. Two of Ubiera’s fellow detainees later accused DOC staff of failing to respond to Ubiera’s pleas for help in the hours before he died. The day after Ubiera’s death, The City revealed that DOC had omitted key information from a report on the death of Curtis Davis, who died at Rikers in July. At this rate, it won’t be long until the feds take over Rikers.
Rudy Giuliani -
Has Rudy Giuliani, long locked in a fall from his now distant “tough on crime” reputation, officially hit rock bottom? The former New York City mayor is booked and busy – that is to say he’s been booked on charges tied to Donald Trump’s bid to overturn the 2020 election and busy facing a $150,000 bond. But hey - at least Giuliani’s alleged coup pal Trump is throwing him a bone, apparently hosting a $100,000-per-plate fundraiser to support him.
James Burke -
Former Suffolk County Police Chief James Burke – who once led the Gilgo Beach murder investigation back when it wasn’t very successful – was arrested in a Long Island park for allegedly soliciting oral sex from an undercover park ranger. This was his second arrest. Formerly, he went to prison for beating a suspect and then covering it up.