50 CityAndStateNY.com
August 24, 2020
CITY & STATE NEW YORK MANAGEMENT & PUBLISHING CEO Steve Farbman, President & Publisher Tom Allon tallon@cityandstateny.com, Comptroller David Pirozzi, Business & Operations Manager Patrea Patterson, Administrative Assistant Lauren Mauro
Who was up and who was down last week
CREATIVE Art Director Andrew Horton, Senior Graphic Designer Alex Law, Graphic Designer Aaron Aniton
LOSERS
DIGITAL Project Manager Michael Filippi, Digital Content Manager Amanda Luz Henning Santiago, Digital Marketing Strategist Caitlin Dorman, Web/Email Strategist Isabel Beebe
STEVE BANNON Yo ho! Yo ho! It’s a pirate’s life for Steve Bannon! President Donald Trump’s former adviser was arrested at sea – well, off the coast of Connecticut – in a 150-foot yacht on Thursday for allegedly defrauding thousands of donors. While working for Trump in 2016, Bannon redirected funds from the “We Build the Wall” campaign into his own bank account, prosecutors say, siphoning about $1 million to pay his own personal expenses. It’s looking like Scallywag Steve may soon walk the plank.
THE BEST OF THE REST
THE REST OF THE WORST
JIM MALATRAS
CHIRLANE MCCRAY
Jim Malatras, president of SUNY Empire State, has been a member of Cuomo’s cabinet of pandemic-fighting insiders, but he’s been named the next chancellor of the whole State University of New York system. Who needs a nationwide search when you’ve got a rotating array of Cuomo allies right here in Albany?
TOM PEREZ
This year’s Democratic National Convention was … different. But New York is still on top, with the Buffalo-born DNC chair Tom Perez getting high marks for projecting a picture of party unity.
As many as 22,000 city workers could be laid off thanks to the city’s budget gap. But if there’s one thing the city’s budget apparently has room for, it’s expanding payroll for New York City’s first lady.
ANDREW RIGIE
Packs of sweaty people, breathing heavily while sharing communal equipment? A-OK, according to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who announced that gyms can reopen. Indoor dining? Nope, despite New York City Hospitality Alliance’s Andrew Rigie begging for the same privilege.
WINNERS & LOSERS is published every Friday morning in City & State’s First Read email. Sign up for the email, cast your vote and see who won at cityandstateny.com.
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Vol. 9 Issue 32 August 24, 2020 THE POWER OF DIVERSITY LATINO
100
RITCHIE TORRES WON’T FOLLOW YOUR SCRIPT
HOW TO BRING NYC BACK
HOW A YOUNG, GAY, AFRO-LATINO MAN MADE HIS OWN WAY FROM NYCHA TO CAPITOL HILL
CIT YANDSTATENY.COM
@CIT YANDSTATENY
August 24, 2020
Cover photo Guerin Blask
CITY & STATE NEW YORK (ISSN 2474-4107) is published weekly, 48 times a year except for the four weeks containing New Year’s Day, July 4th, Thanksgiving and Christmas by City & State NY, LLC, 61 Broadway, Suite 1315, New York, NY 10006-2763. Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to City & State New York, 61 Broadway, Suite 1315, New York, NY 10006-2763. General: (212) 268-0442, subscribe@cityandstateny.com Copyright ©2020, City & State NY, LLC
MARK REINSTEIN/SHUTTERSTOCK; ELEKES ANDOR
ANDREW CUOMO The governor suffered a lot of mockery when his 2014 memoir flopped, but he might get the last laugh now that his COVID-inspired treatise is shooting up the bestseller list weeks before its release. Plus, a primetime spot at the Democratic National Convention shows that his national stature is only rising. Haters gonna hate, but that’s not likely to keep the governor from making some serious bank as he enjoys the renewed buzz about a possible presidential run.
OUR PICK
OUR PICK
WINNERS
While students wait to see how exactly the new school year will play out in New York, there are plenty of lessons that they can learn just from reading the latest political news. For example, what’s the best way to make a quick buck: Write a bestselling book about the coronavirus crisis – or defraud donors who want to build a wall on the Mexican border? Carefully read this week’s Winners & Losers, then fill in the correct answers.
EDITORIAL editor@cityandstateny.com Editor-in-Chief Jon Lentz jlentz@cityandstateny.com, Managing Editor Ryan Somers, Senior Editor Ben Adler badler@cityandstateny.com, Special Projects Editor Alice Popovici, Deputy Editor Eric Holmberg, Senior Reporter Jeff Coltin jcoltin@cityandstateny.com, Staff Reporter Zach Williams zwilliams@cityandstateny.com, Staff Reporter Rebecca C. Lewis rlewis@cityandstateny.com, Tech & Policy Reporter Annie McDonough amcdonough@ cityandstateny.com, Staff Reporter Kay Dervishi, Copy Editor Holly Pretsky