Personality
This week’s biggest Winners & Losers
Who’s up and who’s down this week?
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding at Madison Square Garden may have caused some mayhem in Midtown, especially over the holiday weekend and during the World Cup, but hey, it could have been worse. Can you imagine how many more Swifties would have been there if not for the heatwave? While Taylor and Travis were entering their Marriage Era, we were very much in our AC Era. Most people probably aren’t looking forward to seeing their next ConEd bills though – especially those who lost power. To those who actually turned their ACs to 78 degrees as per the mayor’s request: Congrats, you saved a few bucks this month.
Sam Levine -
Money can’t buy you happiness– unless you’re commissioner of the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection. Since being appointed by Mayor Mamdani earlier this year, Levine has secured settlement after settlement for consumers and workers, to the tune of nearly $20 million. Levine’s been able to continuously clock bad employers and big corporations, but he doesn’t deserve all the credit. Most of these complaints were first filed during the Adams administration.
Cait Conley -
Status check for Cait Conley: Phase One complete, reinforcements have arrived, intelligence positive. The decorated combat veteran is now ready to commence Phase Two of her operation targeting vulnerable GOP Rep. Mike Lawler. She just got placed in the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s Red to Blue program and a new poll has her six points ahead. Conley seems well on her way to joining the congressional chapter of the Long Grey Line.
Anthony Constantino -
Now that President Donald Trump has successfully pressured Assembly Member Robert Smullen to vacate the NY-21 race, it looks increasingly likely that Sticker Mule CEO Anthony Constantino will replace Rep. Elise Stefanik in Congress. Sure, New York Democrats like Gov. Kathy Hochul think they’ve got a shot at the seat, but Republicans make up 40% of registered voters in the district and Constantino has the support of Trump, Rudy Giuliani and Roger Stone.
Morris Katz -
Was Mamdani’s wunderkind political adviser Morris Katz wearing rose-colored glasses when he helped recruit Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner? Or did he ignore all those red flags? Platner’s gruff populism electrified supporters, but his closet was full of skeletons: a Nazi symbol tattoo, offensive Reddit posts, mistreatment of former partners. His campaign finally imploded after one former partner accused him of rape, which Platner denies. Katz flew out to do damage control. Now the knives are out for the 27-year-old consultant.
Alister Martin -
The Commissioner of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene is still trying to get to the bottom of a Legionnaires’ disease on the Upper East Side, which has infected at least 36 people and sent 22 of them to the hospital. Martin is leading the department’s effort to test all of the area’s water cooling towers, but he has yet to find the source of bacteria – and patience is wearing thin.
Daniel Martuscello III -
After months of waiting, a scathing outside report ordered by the governor once again has state Department of Correction and Community Supervision Commissioner Daniel Martuscello III in the hot seat. In the wake of high-profile beating deaths of incarcerated individuals, the report found systemic understaffing, toxic work culture and insufficient oversight. Prison reform advocates have been ringing the alarm bell for years, but the damning new report provides independent data to cite.