The ex-NYC jails boss who oversaw a huge surge of violence on Rikers Island is helping Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani reshape the Big Apple’s public-safety policies.

Former Correction Commissioner Vincent Schiraldi — a longtime soft-on-crime, juvenile-justice activist — is one of 20 appointees named to the socialist pol’s transition committee for criminal legal services. Both Schiraldi and Mamdani are big proponents of mass decarceration and shutting Rikers.

Critics say Schiraldi — who resigned in June as head of Maryland’s juvenile detention services following statewide spikes in teen crimes – is a terrible selection.

“Vincent Schiraldi failed spectacularly at Rikers, was pushed out of Maryland after yet another correctional disaster, and now Zohran Mamdani is welcoming him with open arms,” ripped Councilman Robert Holden (D-Queens).

“If this is the braintrust Mamdani is building, New Yorkers should expect more chaos, more excuses, and the same public safety failures that put our city and our jail system in danger in the first place.”

Schiraldi, 66, served as NYC correction commissioner during the final seven months of 2021 under then-Mayor Bill de Blasio – as violent attacks against detainees and correction officers on Rikers skyrocketed.

In 2023, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore appointed Schiradli as his secretary for the Department of Juvenile Services.

But in June, Moore reportedly pressured Schiradli into resigning after juvenile crime in Maryland spiked and criticism mounted over Schiradli’s lenient management style, which emphasized detainee rehabilitation over public safety.

His tenure bizarrely included appointing Joel Castom — who served 26 years in prison after being convicted for first-degree murder in Washington, D.C. – as a senior official of a new unit reforming Maryland’s juvenile detention system.

Schiraldi also came under fire in 2008 as director of D.C.’s Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services for ordering DYRS workers to transport three juvenile detainees to his private D.C. home for a holiday cookout – only to have one escape.

Benny Boscio, president of NYC’s Correction Officers’ Benevolent Association, questioned Mamdani’s decision to appoint Schiradli to the transition team, saying the union knew Schiradli was a poor choice to lead the Department of Correction “from Day One.”

“He consistently advocated to protect the rights of violent inmates, while he was our commissioner and then hired a convicted murderer to help reform Maryland’s youth corrections system,” Boscio said.

“New Yorkers deserve leaders who are committed to the public’s safety and the men and women who maintain it. He is not one of them.”

Messages left with Mamdani and Schiraldi were not returned. 

However, during a 2022 column for the nonprofit Marshall Project, Schiradli admitted conditions at Rikers under his watch “fell below [his] already-low expectations” as “staff absenteeism soared, uses of force [by officers] increased, programming and visitation [for detainees] declined, shank attacks skyrocketed and deaths rose.”

He blamed the “chaos” at the scandal-scarred jail complex not on himself but on the “nation’s racist and destructive fixation on imprisonment.”

“It’s Exhibit A for why we need to end mass incarceration,” claimed Schiraldi.

Responding to a LinkedIn post two weeks ago naming transition committee members, Schiraldi said he’s “honored to [be] part of this prestigious bunch!”

IOWA CITY — It didn’t take Iowa basketball long to be reminded just how difficult it is to win on the road in the Big Ten.

The Hawkeyes took a 19-point loss to Michigan State in East Lansing on Tuesday to open up league play. But they were not alone in dealing with troubles on the road.

Previously undefeated Indiana lost by nine at Minnesota. This was a Golden Gopher team that had already fallen to Missouri, San Francisco, Stanford and Santa Clara this season, including by 23 to Missouri.

Northwestern got a dose of the reality of playing on the road in the Big Ten, too, falling by 12 at Wisconsin. The Wildcats managed to make the final margin look respectable, but trailed by 23 at halftime.

What happened around the Big Ten doesn’t change Iowa’s loss at Michigan State, but it does put it into perspective.

And it’s not like the circumstances of that game tilted in Iowa’s favor in the first place. 

More: What to make of Iowa basketball’s ugly loss at Michigan State

The Spartans are one of the best teams in the nation — with wins over Arkansas, Kentucky and North Carolina, the latter two of which came by double-digits at neutral sites. Not to mention that this was Iowa’s first true road game of the Ben McCollum era, and it happened to come in one of the Big Ten’s most formidable atmospheres.

This is to say, it’s probably best not to overreact to Iowa’s first loss of the season.

“We know what it takes to be able to get a program over the top,” McCollum said. “I’ve had experience with it. It’s not always going to be a perfect transition, especially the way we want to do it. I don’t think having experience losing allows you to handle losing better. Meaning: I don’t think losing’s ever fun. It’s like one of those things… We’re still on an upward trend. Sometimes, it goes like this (peaks and valleys) in the trend.”

Iowa will be in the comfort of Carver-Hawkeye Arena when it tries to bounce back from that loss. The Hawkeyes host Maryland on Dec. 6 for the final conference game before the calendar turns to the new year.

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“I’m probably more process-focused, but there’s also a competitor in there that says, it’s not OK to lose,” McCollum said about moving on from the Michigan State loss. “You’ve got to visit that part of it and fix it. But yet, you can’t let it have an earth-shattering effect, like this is the end of the world. You’ve got to find that balance between the two. And hopefully, we’ve found it. But we’ll find out Saturday.”

Scouting Maryland

The Terrapins (6-3) have been up and down in their first season under coach Buzz Williams.

They have already been tested against high-level competition. All three of their losses have come to power conference opponents — Georgetown, Gonzaga and Alabama. Maryland was throttled in the latter two, falling to Gonzaga by 39 and Alabama by 33.

It also took the team overtime to beat Mount St. Mary’s.

Maryland’s shooting has been rough. The Terrapins are converting on just 41% of their shots from the field and 31% from deep. But they have done an exceptional job getting to the foul line, attempting 29.2 free throws per game, and making 77.2% of them.

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More: Takeaways from Iowa basketball road loss vs. Michigan State

The Hawkeyes did not do a good job of guarding without fouling against Michigan State, so it will be important to clean that up against Maryland.

Iowa’s offense has sputtered the last two games, averaging just 55.5 points. After playing a stout Michigan State defense, it seems much more realistic for Iowa to get back on track offensively against Maryland, which is allowing 78 points per game.

Video: Tavion Banks on lessons learned from Michigan State loss

Iowa basketball’s Tavion Banks meets with media on Dec. 5, 2025.

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Pharrel Payne, a 6-foot-9 big man, has been Maryland’s best player this season. He started his college career at Minnesota, but followed Williams from Texas A&M to Maryland. Payne leads the Terrapins in points (18.9) and rebounds (6.8) per game this season. His 2.9 offensive boards per game — and the fact that Maryland averages 13 as a team this season — means Iowa needs to be better on the defensive glass than it was against Michigan State.

The Terrapins have seven players averaging better than eight points per game. That includes Solomon Washington, another Texas A&M transfer, who made his season debut in Maryland’s most recent game against Wagner, posting 10 points and six rebounds.

“They’re a big team, athletic, and they play hard,” Iowa junior Cam Manyawu said. “They’re a really good offensive rebounding team. So we’ll just have to make sure we do our little things with boxing out. Focusing on our offensive flow and our defensive spacing, those will be big for us. And if we just execute the little things that we didn’t really execute against Michigan State, we’ll be successful in this game.”

Video: Iowa basketball’s Cam Manyawu recaps MSU, previews Maryland

Iowa basketball’s Cam Manyawu meets with media on Dec. 5, 2025.

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Iowa vs. Maryland prediction

It would feel good for Iowa to rekindle some of the momentum from its 7-0 start and show that the Michigan State loss is behind it. 

The Hawkeyes would have time to recover from a loss, since it’s only December, but falling to Maryland probably wouldn’t do favors for their computer metrics. It would also put Iowa at risk of losing three in a row, given that it’s headed to Ames to take on Iowa State next week. 

This is the first Saturday game of the season for Iowa, meaning it could provide a barometer for how the fan base is embracing this team and its willingness to invest time and money into it. It has a chance to be the best atmosphere of the season.

“We’ve worked for it,” McCollum said. “I’ve been out and will continue to work for it, continue to fight for it. Again, it’s can we create that home court advantage? Can we create a fun atmosphere? And hopefully, we can do that in a Big Ten game on Saturday.”

It’s best to take advantage of winnable Big Ten games when you have the opportunity. And this is definitely one of them. It wouldn’t be ideal for Iowa to enter 2026 having already dug itself an 0-2 hole in the Big Ten. Iowa 77, Maryland 69.

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Follow Tyler Tachman on X @Tyler_T15, contact via email at ttachman@gannett.com

The body of a Maryland boater was found Thursday, nearly three weeks after he was reported missing in the Chesapeake Bay, according to the State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Police.

Lonnie James Johnson, 65, of Chesapeake Beach, was reported missing on Nov. 14, and his boat was found unoccupied near Taylors Island in Dorchester County. 

His body was found in the water near the northwest shoreline of Taylors Island, police said. 

Bob Bruns, a friend of Johnson, described him as a fisherman with more than 50 years of experience and the man at the center of the Chesapeake Bay fishing community. Another friend, Travis Long, described Johnson as a father, grandfather, proud veteran and reliable friend.

“He always would answer the phone, he always had an ear, he was one of those friends who would drop everything to give you support when you needed it,” Long said.

Johnson’s friends reported him missing when he didn’t show up for a fishing trip, according to Bruns. 

“He’s never late,” Bruns said. “…We realized something was wrong. His boat was gone, his truck and trailer were there, but it had frost on it, which meant it would have been there overnight.”

Police said Johnson had taken his boat out and never returned the day before he was reported missing. 

Bruns believes Johnson had a medical emergency and fell overboard. Police have not confirmed his manner of death. 

“You’re holding your breath hoping that he had passed out or fainted or something and would be in the boat, but when they got to the boat, the engine was running, it wasn’t in gear. Of course, his phone was ringing off the hook, and no evidence of foul play or anything. He just wasn’t in the boat,” Bruns told WJZ in November. 

Bruns said Johnson lost his wife, Cione, to cancer a few years ago. 

“His wife passed away, and we became very close, and he spends his Christmases and Thanksgivings here so he’s not at home by himself,” Bruns said. “He was just such an extraordinary guy.”

“My personal belief is that he’s no longer in that body, he’s in heaven with his wife Cione,” Bruns said in November.