This week’s biggest Winners & Losers

After soul searching, conversations and much thought, Gov. Kathy Hochul agreed to sign the Medical Aid in Dying Act – with a few changes. That's huge for state Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal and Assembly Member Amy Paulin, who sponsored the measure and have fought for years to make the proposal a reality. And unlike Hoylman-Sigal’s four-time vetoed Grieving Families Act, the governor agreed to sign MAID the first time it passed.

Ben Walsh is leaving a good job in Syracuse City Hall, going to be workin’ for Gov. Kathy Hochul every night and day. He’ll need to keep the wheel on turnin’, for the lock lights to keep on burnin’, Walsh will be rollin’ on the canal. The term-limited Syracuse mayor is the new director of the Canal Corporation, in charge of an agency that covers economic development, transportation, recreation and the preservation of the state’s canals.

They’re on the team. New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani is (finally) starting to announce the key members of his administration. City Hall veteran Sherif Soliman was named budget director, which is one of the administration’s most powerful positions, while Jahmila Edwards was appointed director of intergovernmental affairs. Better yet, Edwards and Soliman are still in the administration at the time of writing.

Given their recent history, it’s no surprise the Working Families Party opted not to endorse state Sen. Jessica Ramos in her reelection bid. But given that she was once a rising star in the party and has close ties to organized labor, it seemed like the WFP might stay out of the race between her and Assembly Member Jessica González-Rojas, at least for now. Instead, the WFP backed JGR in an early endorsement announcement. Even worse for Ramos, Mets owner Steve Cohen got the final approval he needed for the casino proposal she has railed against.

There will be no comeback for Airbnb in New York City. At least not now. After fierce debate and no shortage of cash spent via lobbying, the City Council didn’t end up passing legislation that would have allowed more homeowners to open their homes for short-term rentals. Expect a lot of finger pointing in the days to come – some at City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams and her successor Julie Menin – but ultimately it’s gotta sting dearly for bill sponsor, Mercedes Narcisse.

When he announced his new director of appointments Cat Da Costa, Zohran Mamdani posted: “Cat’s spent over a decade in public service and personnel management.” Some other things from more than a decade ago came to light when journalist Timmy Facciola reviewed Da Costa’s X account, such as this tweet she wrote as a college student in 2011: “money hungry Jews smh.” “As the mother of two Jewish children, I deeply regret and apologize for these tweets from well over a decade ago,” Da Costa said in a statement, before promptly resigning.