Personality
This week’s biggest Winners & Losers
Who’s up and who’s down this week?
Critics say New York is going to the dogs. They may have a point. New York City has treated our four-legged friends as a genuine constituency for a while, but this week Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz announced that dogs will be allowed to accompany their owners on the golf course. (Make that “FORE-legged friends.”) Downstate, Assembly Member Keith Powers introduced a new bill to get rid of sales tax on Fancy Feast and other pet food. What’s next, cats at Gracie Mansion? Read on for some of our non-canine winners (and losers) of the week.
Anthony Constantino -
Northern New Yorkers, by and large, love President Donald Trump. But even they were stunned this week when Trump endorsed Sticker Mule CEO Anthony Constantino to replace Rep. Elise Stefanik in the 21st Congressional District – snubbing decorated retired U.S. Marine Corps colonel and Assembly Member Robert Smullen, a Trump loyalist backed by the NY GOP. In a rare split from Trump, state GOP leaders say they’re sticking by Smullen, especially as state Conservative Party chair Jerry Kassar is suing Constantino for defamation.
Anthony D’Esposito -
Inspector general for the U.S. Department of Labor seemed like an odd landing spot for former Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, but he’s made an impact. This week, D’Esposito’s wide-ranging investigation brought down U.S. Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer. D’Esposito, who passed on a rematch with Democratic Rep. Laura Gillen this year, is also serving on the newly created anti-fraud task force chaired by Vice President JD Vance.
Chi Ossé -
The Brooklyn council member brought attention to deed theft – and himself – when he was roughly arrested trying to stop the eviction of a constituent in Bed-Stuy who was alleging deed theft. The details of that particular case are more complicated, with the state attorney general investigating and finding no deed theft. But Chi Ossé rightly sees that scamming vulnerable homeowners is a problem, and seems to have convinced the mayor to do something about it.
Adem Bunkeddeko -
The Democratic primary for state comptroller may have started as the sleeper race of the cycle, but it’s center stage now. Unfortunately for Adem Bunkeddeko, increased attention also means more scrutiny. And his campaign fundraising records have tons of errors flagged by the state Board of Elections, including attributing hundreds of contributions to his wife. He isn’t accused of wrongdoing, but these kinds of mistakes don’t bode well for any candidate.
James Giovansanti -
While less than ideal, getting slapped with a handful of speeding tickets over the course of one’s lifetime isn’t unheard of. But wracking up more than 574 tickets is pathological. It’s even worse when that person happens to be a police officer. Meet James Giovansanti, the second most reckless driver in New York City, according to Streetsblog. Despite receiving 187 camera-issued tickets in 2025 alone, he’s still on the force and at the wheel.
Effie Phillips-Staley -
Effie Phillips-Staley was already the underdog in the crowded Democratic primary to unseat Republican Rep. Mike Lawler in November. Now it’s unclear if she’ll even make the ballot. Lawler sued her campaign over accusations of petition fraud, and at least 30 Rockland County voters told the court they never signed petitions to support Phillips-Staley’s campaign despite their signatures appearing on her designating petitions. Phillips-Staley isn’t the only candidate accused of petition fraud; Assembly Member Jenifer Rajkumar’s campaign was also sued this week over accusations of forged signatures.