McMahon Meets the Grim Reaper

Mike McMahon, the former city council member and now former congressman, went down to defeat Tuesday in the Republican wave that swept the country. The Staten Island Advance has the story: "Republican upstart Michael Grimm -- a political novice, Tea Party darling and decorated Marine -- yesterday bested one-term Democratic Rep. Michael McMahon in the race for Congress, declaring in victory, "Now the real work begins!"

There will be no tears shed here. McMahon not only sold out Speaker Gifford Miller on the city's SWMP-fronting for the mayor who returned the favor with an ineffective endorsement in this race-he at the same time colluded with the speaker and the mayor to kill the pilot program for commercial food waste disposers. That was after we had gotten 33 co-sponsors on the bill and were promised a hearing by McMahon, who was then chair of the council's solid waste committee.

He did this without even picking up the phone and giving the pilot's supporters the courtesy of a simple heads up. But payback is certainly a bitch-even if it's at the hands of someone we have never had the privilege to meet. So, while McMahon absorbed the grim news yesterday, we were able to enjoy a nice moment of schadenfreude-watching Mike being ground up like food waste.

But, who knows, maybe Commissioner Doherty will retire and McMahon can bring his expertise-a singular skill at being a mayoral toady-to a department that is always intellectually challenged. Until then Mike, as we say in the South Bronx, "Que lástima."