Winners & Losers
This week’s biggest Winners & Losers
Who’s up and who’s down this week?
It used to be a good time to be in the business of COVID-19 vaccination and testing. Now, it’s a good time to be in the business of caring for migrants. So you pivot! DocGo, a publicly traded for-profit company that got its start in the coronavirus industry, recently got a $432 million no-bid city contract no one is apparently allowed to review to help manage the migrant crisis in New York. Things are not going great. The Times Union reported that obstetricians are not showing up to people’s prenatal appointments, for example. People are reportedly being lured out of the city on false pretenses. The governor and state lawmakers have said the company is falling short. Who would’ve thought!
Andrew Cuomo -
Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo got word that a Rochester appellate court had dismissed the case brought by Gary Lavine, a former state ethics commissioner, who accused Cuomo’s attorney, Rita Glavin, of defamation. A deposition from former aide Ana Liss-Jackson, being released by former Cuomo aides, shows that Liss-Jackson said Cuomo did not sexually harass her, but called his comments “inappropriate.” Cuomo faces pushback from attorneys who said the deposition should not have been disclosed.
Fabien Levy -
Communications at City Hall has a new face . . . or the same face, but with a new title. Former mayoral Press Secretary Fabien Levy was promoted to deputy mayor for communications. The mayor created the position just for Levy this past week. The promotion comes with a fancy title, but will sock Levy with even more responsibility as all communications staff in City Hall will now report to him and as he heads the mayor’s new direct-to-constituent messaging program.
Lynn Schulman -
Watch out landlords, Lynn Schulman is coming for you. If you are renting to a weed shop, make sure it's legal. A new law sponsored by the Council member took effect this week, stating that landlords will be fined up to $10,000 if they are found renting their space to illegal weed shops throughout the city. The fine is the last step in the process, following a letter from the city and inspections.
Preston Niblack -
Preston Niblack, commissioner of the New York City Department of Finance, might not be the one who pressed send on a mass email accidentally sharing the home addresses, cell phone numbers, and more with roughly 1,800 employees, but he has the pleasure of helming the agency that did. Needless to say people are not happy – and they have real concerns about the widespread sharing of personal information. How unfortunate that what had been intended as a test of the agency’s emergency notification system invertedly created an actual emergency.
Samuel Miele -
Fundraiser Samuel Miele allegedly boasted of a “high risk, high reward” approach to everything he does. Now he’s facing the consequences of those risks. An associate of embattled Rep. George Santos, Miele was indicted on federal charges including wire fraud and identity theft after allegedly impersonating an aide to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to solicit donations for Santos. Whatever (allegedly fraudulent) magic Miele was bringing to Santos’ fundraising in past cycles is clearly missing this year.
Rudy Giuliani -
Once America’s Mayor, Rudy Giuliani could soon hold the title of America’s Criminal. In what one may consider a cruel twist of fate, Giuliani now finds himself indicted under the very racketeering charges he championed to take on the New York City mafia back when he was a U.S. attorney. It’s an incredible culmination of the former mayor’s fall from grace after going to work for former President Donald Trump, who is the reason for his current criminal charges. Mobsters Giuliani helped put away are now having the last laugh decades later.