EXES 6
CityAndStateNY.com
THE
November 25–December 2, 2019
IT’S BETTER TO HAVE LOVED AND LOST – EXCEPT FOR ELECTIONS.
BY AMANDA LUZ HENNING SANTIAGO TRISH BERGIN WEICHBRODT, Billy Joel’s exgirlfriend and current member of the Islip Town Council, appears to be in a New York state of mind, as she just announced her bid for Rep. Pete King’s seat. The Republican councilwoman and the legendary singer-songwriter dated in the late 1990s – back when she was a local newscaster – until she turned down his marriage proposal in 2000. Her freshly launched congressional campaign got us thinking about other New York politicos’ famous exes, from television personalities to acclaimed authors.
GOV. ANDREW CUOMO AND SANDRA LEE
Gov. Andrew Cuomo and celebrity chef Sandra Lee broke up this summer after more than a decade together. Rumors of their split began to swirl when the pair put their Westchester County home up for sale in May.
FORMER REP. ANTHONY WEINER AND HUMA ABEDIN
Top Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin stuck by her husband, disgraced former Rep. Anthony Weiner, throughout numerous sexting scandals until he was caught sexting with a 15-year-old. Weiner pleaded guilty to the charges in May 2017 and Abedin filed for divorce that same month.
JUNOT DIAZ AND ELIZABETH DE LEÓN – AND MARISOL ALCANTARA
Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Junot Diaz is the ex of not one but two New York politicos! It’s rumored that Elizabeth de León, then-New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito’s first deputy chief of staff, was the inspiration for Diaz’s short story collection “This Is How You Lose Her” – but broke off their engagement in 2012. Former state Sen. Marisol Alcantara was also engaged to the writer, with whom she was involved from the late 1990s until shortly after Diaz won his Pulitzer in 2008.
QUEENS DISTRICT ATTORNEY-ELECT MELINDA KATZ AND CURTIS SLIWA
One created a tough-on-crime vigilante group, the other just ran as a progressive criminal justice reformer. Queens District Attorney-elect Melinda Katz and Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa share two sons. The former couple say they were romantically involved from 2011 until 2014 and though Katz and Sliwa say he was her sperm donor, Sliwa’s exwife alleges that the two had a decadelong affair and conceived au naturale.
GOV. ANDREW CUOMO AND KERRY KENNEDY
Cuomo married Kerry Kennedy, the daughter of Robert and Ethel Kennedy, in 1990. Their relationship, which had reportedly been rocky due to Cuomo’s controlling habits, began to dissolve after Kennedy had a highly publicized affair with New York businessman Bruce Colley in 2003. The pair officially divorced in 2005.
FORMER GOV. ELIOT SPITZER AND LIS SMITH
News of disgraced former Gov. Eliot Spitzer and Lis Smith’s relationship was revealed in 2013, after photos were leaked of Smith – then New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s spokeswoman – and the thenmarried Spitzer entering her apartment building together. The couple split in 2015. Now Smith is working as a senior adviser to presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg.
LINDA ROSENTHAL AND SCOTT STRINGER
New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer and Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal dated over three decades ago, a spokesperson for Stringer told New York magazine in 2006.