“Instead of one day of presents we get eight crazy nights” – Adam Sandler
Happy Hanukkah. Wishing love and light to each of you reading this, even as I’m reeling from a weekend where violence spanned two continents. At Brown University, a gunman opened fire during a class review session. Hours later in Australia, an attack on Jews targeted a Hanukkah gathering at Bondi Beach. I’m disgusted by how easily hatred gets excused as rhetoric until it becomes bloodshed. And still: I’m going to suggest that joy can be part of the solution. Not as denial, not as a detour, but as a refusal to let cruelty set the terms of our lives. Hatred wants to shrink our world. Leading with joy is one way to keep it open. Finding common ground. Choosing humanity. Holding onto something peaceful and bright. Joy isn’t naïve – it’s courageous, it’s contagious, and it spreads.
CAROLYN MALONEY PARTY
This week kicked off with a holiday party at the home of former Rep. Carolyn Maloney. Spotted giving out his personal cell number was Jack Schlossberg because he’s managing his own campaign – no consultants, no manager. By the entryway, Assemblywoman Rebecca Seawright executed a classic party maneuver she learned from an unnamed former elected official: stay by the door and greet everyone. It works.
Staffing news traveled quickly through the room. Sophie Secor, formerly of Alex Bores’s office, is heading to Council Member Virginia Maloney’s team, joining Anna Barot. Shakee J. Merritt was deep in City Hall talk, unpacking recent staff departures – including his boss, First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro – and the finer distinctions between resigning and being fired (and what that means for unemployment). Nearby, attorney Charles McQuair of Epstein Becker Green chatted with his district leader grandmother, Sylvia DiPietro, reminiscing about high school days with Stevens Martinez from Governor Hochul’s team.
In a room with five candidates vying for the same House seat, I couldn’t resist asking the obvious: how do you deal with each other at events like this? Turns out, each one has a mental scorecard – most liked, most threatening, best party companion… and the one you hope doesn’t end up standing next to you.
Assemblyman Micah Lasher talked about “correcting the narrative on Jewish issues,” framing it as a long game – less about winning a headline, more about reshaping public understanding over time… Zak Constantine sharing information on local wins in Orange County; TV hair and makeup artist Antonio Novikov; David Freudenthal of Carnegie Hall; Assemblyman Alex Bores wearing his newest accessory – a baby strapped to his chest; Assembly candidate Keith Powers reminiscing about old Lexington Democratic Club days; Council Member and congressional candidate Erik Bottcher (ask to see a photo of his recent family trip wearing beaded hair braids); Michelle Caruso-Cabrera and husband Stephen Dizard; CB8’s Valerie Mason; Stuart and Janice Shorenstein (Janice wearing a duck brooch, kindly indulging my story about Bouchon falling into a Central Park pond while chasing ducks); former Assemblyman Pete Grannis; and Eugenia Bullock of Savoring Spaces, who created the tablescape, including a Christmas Tree made from green grapes.
The night spilled into an afterparty at Casa Tua—because of course—where Candace Bushnell held court on a familiar debate: marrying for love versus marrying for money…
SANTOS CLAUS PARTY
On Tuesday, political personalities from around the country met in Washington DC for former Rep. George Santos’s “Santos Claus” party—the scene was exactly as chaotic as the branding promised: Rep. Lauren Boebert was there, as was Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, and infamous conartist Anna Delvey showed up with her ankle monitor (with senior advisor to the United States Agency for Global Media, Kari Lake, asking for a photo).
While listening in on Rep. Tim Burchett’s monologue of truths that are too funny to be true, someone asked, “Do you do stand up comedy?” to which he replied, ‘I’m in Congress, that’s the biggest joke ever.”
Also in attendance: Nomiki Konst, fresh off a breakup with Mayor Bill de Blasio, candidly sharing stories about compulsive infidelity; organizer Scott Presler, whose long hair is apparently accompanied by a hairbrush stored in his cowboy boots; and NYC author Jacqueline Toboroff, who Amtraked down and back in under 24 hours—only to reappear later at Vickie Paladino’s Whitestone Republican Club holiday party at Leonard’s Palazzo in Great Neck, five floors up while multiple parties unfolded below.
Vickie Paladino PARTY
Vickie Paladino’s Whitestone Republican Club – founded in 2018 – frames her first State Senate run that same year as the spark that reignited local GOP activity. The holiday party featured a ceremonial swearing-in of Vickie to her third term, conducted by attorney Tom Kenniff, with radio host Sid Rosenberg serving as emcee—fresh off his own trip to D.C. after being appointed to the United States Holocaust Memorial Council. Republican Attorney General candidate Michael Henry praised NYC’s Republican councilmembers as a “Navy SEAL team—small but mighty.” In the room: Council Member Inna Vernikov (guns out 😉), Joann Ariola, Frank Morano, Kristy Marmarato as well as President of the Metropolitan Republican Club, Kryshia Lenzo.
One personal history moment stood out: Airbnb’s Michael Blaustein and former Assemblyman Mike LiPetri didn’t just attend SUNY Albany together—they bonded as CSEA interns during college, experiences that shaped two different paths in public service!
Business Council PARTY
Back in Midtown on Thursday night, business leaders gathered inside the former Lord & Taylor building—now Amazon’s NYC office—for The Business Council of New York State’s holiday party. Amazon’s Jennifer Crookshenk opened the evening with remarks that included a full-circle detail: years ago, she bought her wedding dress in that very building.
Also present were Alex Bores and Keith Powers – and in the mix: National Grid’s Bryan Grimaldi; Alex Peña from The Partnership for NYC; Joe Alicata of Bloomberg LP; Amy Perlik Healy, formerly of Grubhub and now with LVMH; lobbyist Joni Yoswein (who reportedly once instructed her interns to watch every episode of Political Personalities with Skye to get to know our elected officials) and Jonathan Juarbe of the Eagle Academy Foundation, an all-boys school with one campus in each borough, boasting a 98% graduation rate and 100% post-secondary acceptance. Rounding out the room were The Business Council’s Howard Becker, Healthier Mulligan (talking horses), and Mario Vazquez, who facilitates the organization’s government engagement committee.
Around Town:
The city said goodbye to Sid Davidoff, the legendary New York political operator and longtime government affairs fixture, with remarks from Al Sharpton, Mayor Eric Adams, Andrew Cuomo, and former DreamWorks CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg—who was there to pay his respects, as Sid’s former intern!
Cortney Bond’s Champagne Problems lounge on the Bowery continues to be a maximalist oasis—Vegas upbringing meets New York swagger, and she understands what it takes to create the room everyone wants to be in. Case in point: yesterday she threw a Taylor Swift birthday party. Rumor has it that Jay-Z may pay a visit to the venue this week…
Governor Kathy Hochul nominated Kathryn Garcia as the next Executive Director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, succeeding Rick Cotton, who retires in January 2026.
Julie Menin presented Angel Rivera with Straus News’ “Keepers of the City” Award at DC37 headquarters. Rivera, an MTA subway conductor and member of TWU Local 100, was recognized for keeping the city moving—literally.
And Senate Minority Leader Patrick Gallivan hosted a “Make New York Affordable” roundtable with colleagues, focusing on childcare, housing, energy and utility costs, and state mandates.
SKYE LIGHTS:
It’s my birthday on Thursday, December 18, and I always get reflective around this time of year—partly because it’s my birthday week, partly because it’s holiday time, the season of giving, and it naturally makes you take inventory. Do I give enough? Do I show up the way I want to? Am I being intentional with my time, my resources, my energy… or am I just sprinting from room to room because December in New York is hectic?
The truth is, going out every night is a lot. Some nights there are multiple holiday parties, and it can start to feel like you’re living on a moving walkway—smiling, hugging, listening, absorbing, always in motion. So I pray, and I journal. That’s how I stay grounded. I also call people just to check in—not because I need advice or a favor, but because connection itself is grounding. It reminds me I’m not just a person “covering” civic life—I’m a person living one.
I skipped a great event Friday night (Resi Cooper’s holiday party on Long Island) and decided to sit with my thoughts instead. I put myself to bed at 10 p.m., but I didn’t fall asleep until nearly 3 a.m. I woke up Saturday feeling yucky, and instead of dragging myself to the gym, I listened to two podcasts and journaled. I was right on the edge of tears when something happened that still doesn’t sound real: a butterfly appeared in my apartment. In Manhattan. No open windows, no tropical greenhouse vibes—just… a butterfly.
I posted it online and people told me it might be a moth. So I did what any responsible, curious person would do: I photographed it, asked ChatGPT what it was, and my loyal friend told me it was a butterfly. And whether it was technically a butterfly or a moth almost didn’t matter, because what it felt like was a message. I’m spiritual. I believe in God. And to me, it was a little tap on the shoulder from above—like, yes, the metamorphosis is real, and yes, it’s welcome, and yes, you’re going to be okay walking into this next year of your life.
So that’s my Hanukkah wish for you: not just a happy holiday season, but a reminder to be aware of your surroundings and stay open to signs—however they come. You can create whatever life you want for yourself. So much of it is mindset. And if you’re in touch with your surroundings, once in a while, the universe sends you a sign.
See you in the room.
