Winners & Losers
This week’s biggest Winners & Losers
Who’s up and who’s down this week?
So. Much. Drama. Long Island grandmother Maria Delgado says she had no clue that she was the Working Families Party nominee for Huntington supervisor, possibly swinging the election. Caroline Kennedy reportedly isn’t happy that her son, Jack Schlossberg, is running for Congress. Schlossberg kicked off his campaign with a favorite Kennedy pastime: attacking Robert Kennedy Jr. Meanwhile, former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio reportedly cheated on his girlfriend, progressive activist Nomiki Konst, with an Arizona mayor, who de Blasio’s friends allege had been stalking him.
Dean Fuleihan & Elle Bisgaard-Church -
Who runs this town? Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani named his first two admin officials this week. Dean Fuleihan, a de Blasio alum, will be first deputy mayor, and Mamdani’s primary campaign manager and longtime right hand Elle Bisgaard-Church will continue in her chief of staff role. Everyone went out for Lebanese food after the announcement, and then they graced the cover of the New York Post with the headline “The Socialist Network.”
Rudy Giuliani -
For a few years there, it looked like Rudy Giuliani’s reputation was slipping as steadily as a streak of black hair dye runs down a weathered cheek. But the former New York City mayor is getting some reprieve – symbolically, at least – in the form of a presidential pardon for accusations that he and others tried to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. The bad news for Trump’s former lawyer? He’s still twice-disbarred, facing state-level charges and climbing out of debt.
Julie Won -
After multiple failed attempts to rezone the neighborhood, Long Island City at last will soon be transformed. The New York City Council recently unanimously approved a sweeping plan in western Queens that’ll permit up to 14,700 new units of housing. More than 4,000 of those units will be affordable, priced below-market. That’s a record for a single rezoning – one local City Council Member Julie Won fought hard to secure.
Erick Salgado -
Of all New York City agencies, you might think the one that would really take issue with employees saying xenophobic things online would be the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs. Think again! Even though Erick Salgado, an assistant commissioner, was found to have posted a meme suggesting New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, who is Muslim, is a terror sympathizer, he has not been fired. Not even his boss thinks he should still have the job!
Amanda Lefton -
It’s got to be tough when your job title is “Department of Environmental Conservation commissioner,” but you haven’t been able to do much conserving the environment lately. Amanda Lefton’s agency greenlit two stalled projects – a pipeline and a Bitcoin mining plant – much to the chagrin of environmental advocates. The DEC had ruled against both plans in the past for not adhering to the state’s environmental laws. Adding insult to injury, the state has agreed to delay the implementation of its all-electric building law as a court challenge plays out.
Sanjay Mehrotra -
Central New York was dealt a big blow when the region’s largest development ever was delayed. Micron Technology and its CEO Sanjay Mehrotra are pushing back the opening of a chip fabrication megacomplex outside Syracuse for two to three years. Now the first factory isn’t expected to start pumping out computer chips until at least late 2030. The up to $100 billion project was first announced in 2022, so everyone hoping this project transforms the local economy will have to wait a little longer.