The Top 10 Stories of 2014

The year 2014 was a time of transition in the world of New York politics, marked by inaugurations and elections, crises and scandals, legislative gridlock and landmark compromises. 

The start of the year witnessed a complete overhaul of government in New York City, with a new mayor, city comptroller and public advocate as well as a new speaker of the City Council after more than a decade with Mayor Michael Bloomberg in charge of America's biggest municipality. In Albany it was a period of heightened tension, with every statewide office and state legislative seat up for grabs—even if the elections resulted in relatively little turnover. In between, there was the uproar over the Moreland Commission, protests over policing, clashes over the Common Core—and that's just the tip of the iceberg. 

With so much happening it was difficult for City & State to whittle this list to just ten stories. It was even harder to rank them. Some readers may feel that other major developments during 2014 should have been included. But we are proud of our picks. And we hope you enjoy reading and reminiscing about the past year. 

EDITOR'S NOTE: The list was finalized and sent to print before the horrific assassinations of officers Rafael Ramos and Weinjian Liu and also before Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced his decision to ban high-volume horizontal hydraulic fracturing and before the New York Gaming Facilities Location Board announced its recommendations for three casinos in upstate New York.