This week’s biggest Winners & Losers

Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso and Assembly Member Claire Valdez (his biggest competition) would likely have indistinguishable voting records as congressional representatives. So the WFP had to consider other factors when they chose to back Reynoso – the like the fact he has a history in the district, more than one year of experience in office and a pitch that goes beyond “I’m endorsed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani.”

John Kagia is flying high after Gov. Kathy Hochul tapped him to lead New York’s embattled state Office of Cannabis Management. Kagia, who served as OCM’s policy director since 2022, was appointed as acting executive director after a troubled two years of leadership woes for the pot regulator. Many cannabis leaders and lawmakers back Kagia as the new cannabis chief, but he still has to be confirmed by the state Senate at a hearing sometime this session – but not until the budget is done.

If New York City kids could elect their own mayor, 8th-grader Victoria Mompoint would be in the first polling position. The mayor of her student government association was the first person Mayor Zohran Mamdani called to say students would get a snow day on Monday during a historic blizzard. It’s cool enough that Mompoint got a FaceTime from the mayor, but even cooler that she can claim credit for the first old-school snow day in seven years. Not so cool: Returning to in-person class the next day.

OK, so maybe we all started falling asleep during President Donald Trump’s State of the Union – it was the longest one ever, after all. But not all of us are members of Congress. Republicans have pounded Long Island Rep. Tom Suozzi this week for his State of the Union snooze. Is “Tired Tom” the new “Sleepy Joe?” Time will tell. 

Allyson Friedman, an associate professor at Hunter College, was placed on leave after she came under fire for making racist remarks at a public meeting. Her fate is still somewhat up in the air as the formal investigation is ongoing, but her comment about Black students – which was caught on a hot mic – certainly scarred her reputation. Footage of the incident spread like wildfire on social media, drawing condemnation from parents, advocates and elected officials alike. 

State prisons boss Daniel Martuscello III has been dealing with the fallout of Robert Brooks’ beating death by corrections officers for over a year. Between last year’s weeks-long wildcat strike and intense scrutiny by legislators looking to pass reforms, Martuscello's job hasn’t exactly been easy. And now, he could be found civilly liable for Brooks’ death, too. A judge rejected Martuscello’s plea to remove him as a defendant in the case, so his 2026 isn’t off to a great start either.