Julie Menin speaking at an event last year. Photo courtesy of PMC.

WINNERS

Charles Rangel - The octogenarian congressman can finally exhale after his primary challenger, state Sen. Adriano Espaillat, conceded for a second time amid ballot irregularities. It is unclear whether Rangel will consider running again in 2014, and Adam Clayton Powell IV is already calling dibs on the seat, but the veteran lawmaker will certainly relish his commute to the Beltway for another two years.

Michael Bloomberg – Word on the street is the mayor hopes his post-mayor role is one of activist philanthropy, and we got another glimpse of what that would be like this week when he made a $50 million gift to support family planning in poorer countries. And we wonder if the mayor, as chairman of the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, had any hand in the decision this week to ban political speeches at the site on the attack anniversary. Both decisions, calmly and deftly managed, show good judgment.

Eliot Spitzer – Okay, so the former governor may never have a political career again, and he hasn’t been a raving success as a national pundit, but we are interested to see where his stint as a NY1 Wiseguy takes him. For his opening show, Spitzer took an opportunity to offer some advice to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, which is just about the brazen-est thing we can think of. With so few people who have a chance at political office willing to go out on a limb to talk about Cuomo, Spitzer could serve an important function as a person willing to criticize the state’s executive, on the record and in the open. This could be a good look for the ex-gov.

Julie Menin – Fourteen months before the Democratic primary for Manhattan borough president, Julie Menin has already maxed out on fundraising, raising as much as she’s possibly allowed to spend under New York City’s matching funds program. That will allow Menin to simply focus on campaigning, while rivals like Gale Brewer, Robert Jackson and Jessica Lappin are still dialing for dollars. Of course, Menin’s early success makes us think that she might be wise just to opt out of the matching funds program and raise more, unlimited amounts of cash.

Dean Skelos - An early leak by the Senate Republicans indicated that the GOP will have something like five times as much cash on hand as the Senate Democrats — who aren’t even trying to pay off their remaining debt anymore. Add to that the fact that Gov. Andrew Cuomo isn’t ruling out backing Republicans for Senate seats, and it’s almost tempting to declare the 2012 battle for Senate supremacy over. Unless a lot more members of the Senate Republican conference decide to follow Marty Golden’s lead and throw events on feminine “deportment,” it’s going to be quite the uphill battle for the Senate Democrats.

LOSERS

Mark Levine – His time may be coming, but it’s not here quite yet. The upper Manhattan Democratic district leader latched onto the congressional campaign of a former foe, state Sen. Adriano Espaillat, while looking to run for Espaillat’s seat if it came open. But now that Espaillat’s narrow loss to longtime Congressman Charlie Rangel is official, and Espaillat has officially decided to run for re-election to the Senate, Levine has little choice but to again take up his candidacy in a crowded field for a seat in the New York City Council.

Ed Cox – The last person you want to get into a public dispute with when you’re a state party chair is your party’s nominee for President, but that’s exactly what Ed Cox did this week by insisting that the Republican convention delegates he selected be seated, instead of assenting to the list of delegates the Romney campaign had expected him to rubber stamp. In the era of drama-free national conventions, the Romney campaign has made it loud and clear (off the record, of course) that they don’t appreciate the former First Son-in-Law’s dissent, threatening to strip Cox of the authority to introduce the New York delegation at the big show. While Cox’s staff hastened to emphasize that everyone was working in lock step to elect Romney, one wonders if for Cox an Obama victory might actually be better for his personal political prospects.

Rob Astorino – The Westchester County executive may simply be doing what’s best for his constituents in pushing for more details – and more transit – on the Tappan Zee Bridge, but now that Gov. Andrew Cuomo has aggressively amped up his public relations campaign behind his plans for a new bridge, Astorino is feeling the governor’s wrath. Larry Schwartz, the secretary to the governor, got another critic of the governor’s plans, Rockland County Executive Scott Vanderhoef, to side with Cuomo, and that isolates Astorino, the “Republican rising star” who’s lately been painted simply as a unrealistic flip-flopper driven by political ambitions.

Kevin Burke – No summer vacation for ConEdison chairman Kevin Burke, who’s entering another week of lockout with his utility workers over a union contract dispute, despite the fact the workers are the same people who’d help the city in the event of a heat-induced power outage. As if that weren’t bad enough, Crain’s reported yesterday ConEd is among the elusive secret donors to the Committee to Save New York, the group plugging for Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s budget. Granted every company has its own interests to look out for, but to the public, at least for the time being, it looks like Burke’s interests are directly opposed to his workers and most of the rest of New Yorkers.

Dennis Walcott – The schools chancellor heard it from all sides this week. Newspaper editorial boards criticized his lenient penalties toward Stuvesant High School cheaters and the Bloomberg administration retreated from his plan to close 24 troubled schools. At least he’s getting outdoors on Friday to promote the city’s Free Lunch program at Orchard Beach. Soak up those rays!

To vote for this week’s top political winner and loser visit City & State by clicking here.

Sean Patrick Maloney

This week, Mayor Michael Bloomberg rhymed when talking about “stop and frisk,” 2013 mayoral candidates dinged each other at the first mayoral roundtable, and campaign filings came in for June 26th Congressional primary elections. As we realized anew that cash rules everything around us, we whipped out our calculators to tabulate who, exactly, had won the week, and who had lost.

David Katleski – We can be sure New York Brewers’ Association president David Katleski is quaffing something in celebration after Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s announcement the state had decided to restore a special tax exemption for craft brewers in the state. Not only was the exemption restored, but additional measures to expand the craft brewing industry’s reach and potential retailing sites were like a delicious foam topper.

Jacques DeGraff – This week, the Rev. Jacques DeGraff, president of nonprofit organization 100 Black Men, among many other things, orchestrated what many considered a near-impossible feat – bringing all of the 2013 mayoral candidates together for a roundtable discussion. The talk was limited to minority and women-owned businesses, but it provided the candidates the chance to illustrate their stylistic differences a year-and-a-half before the election.

Sean Patrick Maloney – The former Spitzer and Paterson Administration aide running against Rep. Nan Hayworth netted an endorsement from former President Bill Clinton this week, which places him a couple of steps above President Barack Obama in terms of how actually helpful the former Commander-in-Chief is proving as a surrogate. Maloney also posted strong fundraising numbers, making the prospect of knocking the freshman Hayworth out of her seat after only one term seem less and less like a Congressional Democratic Conference pipe dream.

Richard Gottfried – Passing a bill to legalize medical marijuana has always been a priority for stalwart Assemblyman Dick Gottfried, but it’s never seemed less like a joke out of High Times than in recent weeks, after Gov. Andrew Cuomo paved the way for a realistic discussion of the herb with his plan to decriminalize small amounts of marijuana in public. Between Assemblyman Joe Lentol’s toke talk and Assembly passage of the med-mar bill, even with the certain prospect of Republican Senate opposition, the bill is closer than it’s ever been before to becoming reality.

Peter Ward – Chalk up a couple more wins for the head of the Hotel Trades Council. First, Mayor Bloomberg praised Ward at a press conference for his leadership in putting together a deal on Willets Point, in which the two planned hotels will use union labor. And Ward is also getting support from Albany elected for his boycott of the Desmond Hotel over a new contract – even though his union only recently began representing those workers.

Ruben Wills – Trouble just seems to follow Queens Councilman Ruben Wills. Last year it was a saga over some relatively minor, ancient criminal misdemeanor charges that dragged on and on as Wills failed to deal with the situation. Now, Wills’s non-profit is being investigated over his failure to account for funds spent, and he’s seemingly failing to cooperate with the New York attorney general’s inquiries. All of that has led the City Council to take up an investigation, and his member item-doling privileges have been revoked. At least Wills retains his position as the treasurer for the Council’s Black, Latino and Asian Caucus.

Howard Milstein – Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s wealthy campaign contributor is undoubtedly doing just fine with his own finances, but in his gig as chair of the state’s Thruway Authority, he is getting a firsthand look at what it’s like to try to scrape by without plenty of excess cash. S&P, the major ratings agency, downgraded the authority’s financial outlook this week, writing that “aggressive” toll increases may be needed to replace the aging and outdated Tappan Zee Bridge. The Thruway did maintain its A-plus rating, but if it can’t find the money somewhere else after the Obama administration rejected a $2 billion loan earlier this year, maybe Milstein can just bail out the Thruway himself.  

Joe Martens – Gov. Andrew Cuomo this week framed hydrofracking as not all good and not all bad, saying the truth is “very often in the middle” – though that’s a tough place to be for Martens, the governor’s top environmental official. With the news that the administration is mulling a plan to let the controversial natural gas drilling procedure move forward in select areas, and only in municipalities that permit it, many environmentalists are already in an uproar. The industry, which has been grumbling about the delays in developing regulations, has called the proposal a positive step, but they’re undoubtedly going to continue to press Martens hard on the other side too.

Don Hassig - Gaffe! Green Party candidate Don Hassig missed a press conference in his fight for Congress against Rep. Bill Owens because his van failed a New York State vehicle emissions test. He had to phone in to the press conference, and guzzle the embarrassment, which to his credit, he handled with good humor. This is what we call a teachable moment.

Chris Collins – Former Erie County executive Chris Collins has enough years behind him in political office to warrant some certain backing from his supporters, but his campaign filing for his 27th district Congressional bid shows his race is almost wholly self-funded – $250,000 out of $255,000 in filings are a loan he made to himself, and the rest comes from just five individuals. Western New York political observers said Collins’ poor showing has everything to do with what some perceive as past blunders, including his handling of Assemblywoman Jane Corwin’s run for Kathy Hochul’s seat last year in the special election, and Collins’ recent race for county executive, which he lost despite more than $1 million in support from donors.

To vote for your choice of winner and loser for this week visit City & State by clicking here.

Christine Quinn

WINNERS

George Amedore – Sixty-three seats, it is. New York’s highest court ruled the Senate Republicans’ redistricting map wasn’t so extreme as to be unconstitutional, affirming a fundamental element in the GOP’s strategy to hold onto their narrow majority. Other than the party as a whole, one clear winner is Assemblyman Amedore, who plans to run for the new seat, which was seen by many as tailor-made for the wealthy lawmaker.

Pedro Espada – Just when all seemed lost for the flamboyant ex-senator, on trial for allegedly skimming millions from his state-financed health clinic, Espada was buoyed by the news that one juror was refusing to deliberate, making the possibility of a hung jury suddenly very real. A former boxer, Espada immediately went on the offensive, slamming Governor Cuomo for indicting him, and raising the specter of possible patients dying from lack of Medicaid funding. Crooked or not, this is why we miss this guy.

 Jason Helgerson – The Medicaid Redesign Team was already a big success last year, helping the governor close a huge budget gap. But the benefits haven’t run out yet, apparently. The savings achieved as a result of the work of the task force, headed by healthcare funding wunderkind Helgerson, exceeded expectations in its first year, coming in $14 million under its cap even as the state added 140,000 people to the Medicaid rolls. Not a bad prognosis.

Christine Quinn – Sure, she ditched a public rally in a snit because someone had the gall (the gall!) to call the mayor “Pharaoh Bloomberg.” But the council speaker was also doubling down on her close relationship with his majesty, which in the context of 2013, is gutsy. What else is gutsy? Saying “vagina” on television, which Quinn did during a press conference urging passage of a state reproductive health bill in Albany. And saving 2,500 teachers from getting fired? Just another day’s work for the most powerful woman in New York City politics.

Chris Ward – Lost amid all the back slapping over 1 World Trade Center’s milestone this week – its now the tallest building in the city – was gratitude to one of the men who made it happen: ex-Port Authority boss Chris Ward. Booted from his job so the governor could install one of his own, Ward was instrumental in transforming Ground Zero into the bustling hub of activity it is today. Not that he needs any thanks. All he has to do to know he did a good job is look up.

LOSERS

Joe Addabbo – Before popular City Councilman Eric Ulrich jumped into a state Senate race in southeast Queens, the common wisdom was the he would stay on the sidelines. It seems Ulrich’s entry even surprised Addabbo, the Democratic incumbent, who it turns out had less than $2,000 in his campaign account. And while Democrats are pledging to support Addabbo, they might not have much extra cash to throw his way. Bake sale anyone?

Joe Bruno – Normally the former Senate majority leader loves nothing more than some good banter with the Albany press corps. Not so on Thursday, when Bruno appeared in court facing a second indictment on charges of corruption and theft of honest services. The federal government flubbed the first trial, and no doubt Bruno’s lawyers will try to make these new charges out to be a case of double jeopardy. But the possibility of 20 years behind bars has already had an effect on the 83-year-old Republican: it’s silenced him.

To read the full list and vote for the top winner and loser of the week visit City & State by clicking here.

Joe Lhota

WINNERS

Eric Adams — Okay, we admit it, this could really go to anyone left standing in the Brooklyn Borough President’s race, after heir apparent Carlo Scissura announced he was dropping out of the race to pursue a position as president of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce. Other bandied about candidates include Sen. Kevin Parker and even City Councilman Domenic Recchia, Jr., who’s also been mentioned as a possible comptroller candidate. Regardless, the race is wide open at this point. And for Senate Democrats like Adams, who are basically powerless as newborn kittens in the current Legislature, any position is better than the one they hold now.

Tony Avella – Some critics blasted his hydrofracking forum – not a hearing, mind you – as a media stunt, but it achieved his goal of keeping the contentious issue in the spotlight. On top of that, two potential and potentially strong challengers made it clear they wouldn’t run against him: fellow Democratic Sen. Toby Ann Stavisky, who was redrawn into his district, and Republican Frank Padavan, whom Avella ousted two years ago.

Greg Ball — Republican Sen. Greg Ball lost a primary challenger yesterday in the form of Steve Katz, the veterinarian Assemblyman who once faced criminal charges over illegally dumping a dog and separate charges over possible mistreatment of a vicious chihuahua. Ball’s only other primary candidate at this point is a man who shares the same surname with a woman at the heart of a massive Manhattan prostitution ring, which leaves Greg Ball, once thought to be the Senate’s biggest liability, looking like the safe choice for Republicans in his district’s primary.

Simcha Felder — In Hebrew, Simcha translates directly into “joy.” And Simcha Felder certainly had a lot of that during his first week as a Senate candidate, landing the endorsements of the Brooklyn Orthodox communities two most prominent current pols, Councilman David Greenfield and Assemblyman Dov Hikind. That could well box other big-name candidates out of the race, like ex-Councilman Noach Dear, and could convince everyone to simply get behind Felder. Maybe that’s why Felder can be so coy with which party he’ll causus with in Albany, and can play it sort of cute by keeping his city job while he runs.

John Sexton — For months, Mayor Bloomberg teased about the possibility of a second applied sciences campus to help spur the city’s developing tech sector. And this week, in a remarkably well managed roll out, he announced that New York University would join Cornell and Technion in the building their own city-supported engineering school. NYU President John Sexton, who was withstood a wave of discontent over the school’s expansion plans, now gets the chance to be on the winning side of the equation. Excelsior!

LOSERS

Courtney Burke – The problems at the state’s embattled Office for People with Developmental Disabilities were around long before Burke took over, but that isn’t shielding her from criticism lately – especially when word got out the Cuomo administration tried to get a critical OPWDD employee kicked off a legislative hearing she was set to speak at. Both eventually did show up, along with a gaggle of reporters, but Burke would only attribute the matter to a “breakdown in communications.”

Dan Cantor — The Working Families Party must of thought it was in the clear after a judge ordered the disbandment of its for profit campaign arm Data & Field Services. But amid the gear up for the 2012 elections and the attempted revival of Occupy Wall Street comes the news that a special prosector was reopening the case, which means more legal fees and more headaches for Executive Director Dan Cantor. He may want to occupy a therapists couch after this one … Or a bar stool.

Joe Lhota – Whether the governor is a car guy or not, the fact that he hasn’t ridden a subway since taking office won’t persuade anyone he cares much about the MTA. And that’s yet another challenge for the MTA chief, who has to keep the trains running and the stations from falling further into disrepair. He did help pave the way for another applied sciences center in New York City, but  the TWU raised hell about the sale, and tarnished the good deed.

To read the full list at City & State and to vote for the ultimate winner and loser of the week click here.