The Manhattan Dem organization backs a living wage law, even as some Manhattan Dems hold out
Keith Wright. Azi Paybarah via flickr
11:32 am Jan. 13, 2012
The New York County Democratic Committee passed a resolution Wednesday night unanimously supporting the living wage legislation currently under consideration in the City Council.
"There was no debate, absolutely no debate whatsoever," said the county chairman, Assemblman Keith Wright. The resolution passed "by acclamation. It was unanimous."
Passing the resolution means "New York County believes in living wage."
Although 29 of 51 City Council members have signed on as supporters of the legislation, its passage is far from certain.
In November, a onetime supporter, City Councilwoman Inez Dickens of Harlem, said she would oppose the bill, writing in a Daily News op-ed about the burden the new wage requirements would place on small businesses.
More significantly, another Manhattan Democrat, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn of Chelsea, has not stated a definitive position on the bill, and in the meantime has not allowed it to come up for a vote. Crain's reports that she's close to announcing a compromise measure.
A third Manhattan Democrat, Jessica Lappin of the East Side, has not stated her position on the living-wage bill and did not return an earlier call for comment about it.
Also at the Wednesday night meeting, but unrelated, the county committee members were told that the district boundaries for Assembly members, State Senators and district leaders would "have to go south" several blocks because of redistricting. For example: "The 72nd Assembly District needs to gain 17 or 18,000 people," Wright told me. "Where do you get those?"
