This week’s biggest Winners & Losers

New York City Council Member Darlene Mealy finessed a fancy (if meaningless) new title out of the chaos of the Common Sense Caucus that ended in Joann Ariola and Vickie Paladino leaving in a huff. Mealy only joined last year, but she threatened to leave the caucus after new Council Members Phil Wong and Frank Morano were named co-chairs. To get her to stay, she was named caucus “dean.” What does that even mean? We have no idea, but Mealy came out on top.

Clearer streets await – at least we hope that’ll be the case now that the New York City Council passed legislation requiring faster cleanup of snow, ice and trash at bus stops, Citi Bike stations and other public structures. This would be accomplished through a two-year pilot program requiring city agencies to flag problem areas. For bill sponsor Council Member Justin Sanchez, it’s an especially big moment, given it’s the first of his bills to pass.

NYPD Assistant Chief Aaron Edwards and Sgt. Luis Navarro were honored by Mayor Zohran Mamdani for their heroism in responding to a homemade bomb attack near Gracie Mansion. Edwards leapt over a barrier and tackled one of the suspects, while Navarro ran toward an improvised explosive device as it was lit. As the commander of Patrol Borough Manhattan North, Edwards said of springing into action, “Regardless of rank, regardless of life, regardless of position, you’re a cop first.”

New York City’s budget director got an earful of complaints and concerns about the Mamdani administration’s preliminary budget proposal. But Sherif Soliman didn’t field those complaints in person at the City Council’s first budget hearing, as he’s not scheduled to testify until later this month, after Ramadan is over. (The absence of any city budget officials at the first budget hearing rankled a couple council members.) Some credit where it’s due: At least Soliman and company aren’t trying to sell this as the “best budget ever.”

Well, well, well. If it isn’t the consequences of one’s own actions. State Chief Judge Rowan Wilson made some spicy comments last month at a sentencing reform symposium, basically encouraging attendees to vote against judges who didn’t agree with his jurisprudence. Involvement with electoral politics and supporting legislation are big no-nos for judges, so Republicans immediately pounced with an ethics complaint. Wilson maintains that his comments were kosher, though it’s now in the hands of the Commission on Judicial Conduct to decide if that’s the case.

Kaz Daughtry rocketed up through the ranks of Eric Adams’ administration by making the right friends. He returned the favor by handing out NYPD parking placards to all of his friends, but he denied any wrongdoing, according to the Daily News. He got dinged in the press, but his reputation’s unlikely to take a hit. For someone who went from Adams’ City Hall to Kristi Noem’s Department of Homeland Security, Daughtry’s probably not too concerned about the optics of bad press.