De Blasio criticizes Quinn via horse-drawn-carriage legislation
Bill de Blasio and people in horse costume. Dan Rosenblum
4:25 pm Jun. 15, 20129
Standing at City Hall today with anti-horse-carriage activists, including two dressed in horse costumes, Public Advocate Bill de Blasio assailed the Bloomberg administration and the mayor's frequent ally, Council Speaker Christine Quinn, for the city's oversight of the industry.
“I was in this building for eight years in the City Council,” said de Blasio. “The City Council doesn’t have the option to look the other way. Particularly when the mayor’s not acting. The City Council’s supposed to step up. That’s the nature of our government.”
De Blasio and Quinn are both running for mayor.
The rally was an effort by New Yorkers for Clean, Livable and Safe Streets and PETA to get the city to consider a bill to roll out a prototype electric cart to replace horse-drawn carriages.
De Blasio, who is running for mayor, criticized Quinn and Mayor Michael Bloomberg for not responding to the groups pushing the bill.
“He dismisses it, he acts like we don’t exist, not the first time we’ve had that experience with him. And he says, this is one of these wonderful unbelievable Michael Bloomberg quotes, he said this would destroy our tourism industry if we didn’t have the horse carriages.”
De Blasio joked that the Statue of Liberty, Broadway Theaters and restaurants were irrelevant.
“It’s just about horse carriages, right?" he said. "That’s it, the only reason people come to New York City.”
At the rally, Carly Mark Knudson the Executive Director of NYCLASS, which has led the charge to replace horse-drawn carriages with electric carts, said their petition has gotten more than 85,000 signatures and almost enough funding to cover the $400,000 prototype.
If the bill passed, each of the 68 carriages would cost $175,000.
In 2010, the city mandated that all horses get five weeks of vacation, increased stall sizes and increased veterinarian visits.
De Blasio said he didn’t want to take away any jobs from the nearly 200 licensed riders.
“We respect that they do this work and we’re saying this needs to change,” he said. “But we don’t want to see them lose their opportunity. So we’re going to give them a new work opportunity with these electric cars.”
Reached by phone, Stephen Malone of the Horse and Carriage Association of New York defended the industry, saying that horses have stables that allow them to lay down and that they pass water troughs every ride in Central Park. He said that his horses were well cared for, while sanctuaries are closing down across the country.
"This is an industry that's never been cited for animal cruelty, neglect or abuse, but meanwhile, we have 16 horses that were put down at the racetrack since November," he said. "So If they're so concerned about horses, why wouldn't they be protesting Belmont and Aqueduct and places like that?"
Manhattan councilwoman Melissa Mark-Viverito, who sponsored the bill, Intro. 86A, said that was a complementary concern.
“It’s just really sad,” she said of the conditions at racetracks.
“But I don’t think this issue overshadows it," she said. "I think this issue complement each other about raising that level of awareness that the carriage industry or the racehorsing industry, whatever, it just needs more of a forum and needs to be changed, and it needs to be overturned.”
After the rally, Manhattan resident Cacau Da Rosa, one of the costumed horses, took off her suit as temperatures approached 80 degrees. She said was happy to volunteer for the costume gig, while the carriage horses had no choice but to be out on the streets in hot weather.
"They're gonna die," she said.
Whoa! I better go tell the horses in Arizona, Florida, Abu Dhabi and Mexico that it's too hot, they're gonna die! The mustangs in the West need air conditioning, too.
NYCLASS would like for the general public to not know that there are city regulations in place regarding heat extremes. The NYC Dept of Health regulates that horses may not work when it is 90 degrees or above, or 18 degrees or below. I'm sure Bloomberg's daughter has ridden her show jumpers above 90 degrees with no problem. NYC carriage horses have an easy job by comparison. They are not galloping a speed course of 4 to 5 foot fences, they are taking a leisurely walk in Central Park.
It is no coincidence that the founder of NYCLASS owns eventing horses and is a real estate developer (Edison Properties, Manhattan Mini Storage, etc). The carriage barn land would be mighty appealing for Nislick. Check out Michael Gross' article, "It's Parkingtown, Jake" http://mgross.com/gripebox/its-parkingtown-jake/
Horses below in the country, not busy NYC streets. Good for deBlasio.
Can't wait for the day we finally see a cruelty-free NYC.
I think an alternative to this industry is exactly what is needed! Let's save the horses and keep tourism alive!!
Has it ever occured to the well-paid Carly K of NYCLASS and others that the carriage drivers ahd owners in NYC LIKE working with horses?
How is it an "opportunity" for small business people who already own their REAL horses and carriages to HAVE to give them up, and become EMPLOYEES who drive around some tacky fake antique cars that cost $175,000 (estimated) apiece?
This whole "controversy" has been manufactured by greedy reale state developers and radical and unreasonable animal rights activists.
THe NYC carriage horses, owners and drivers are among the most regulated enterprises in NYC, if not the whole country. I guess Mr. De Blasio is just looking to get votes where he can instead of looking out for ALL of his potential constituents.
I have been following this whole "carriage horse controversy" from afar for several years. I am just one person, but I can tell you there are many of us who would NOT take a fake antique car ride while visiting NYC, but we would take a carriage ride. We would go out of our way to do it too. As a former visitor to NYC, I can tell you that the memory of a Central Park Carriage ride lasts a lifetime-- I took my ride in 1956 and remember it fondly.
I have friends, who visited NYC about two years ago and they told me the they Central Park carriage ride is one of their best memories of your city, too. I bet there are MILLIONS of us who feel that way. NYC without the carriages wouldn't be as memorable.
Wow! How many ways is NYCLASS going to spin this? They aren't concerned about the horses they said that. They refuse to acknowledge any facts about the Carriage Industry in New York City. There is and always has been one and only one issue with NYCLASS; the buildings. Steve Nislick wants those properties to develop and put more money in his pockets.
Their reference to PETA only shows their lack of concern for the horses. PETA kills thousand of animals a year all the while proclaiming their love for them as they snuff out their lives. They hate any animal being in contact with a human being; that is PETA's core value.
The people who want the horses removed from the city have never been in the stables; only get near the horse to scream at them and try to spook them. There have been several physiatrist studies about the Radical Animal Right Activist mental instability. It’s very serious and very sad that there are elected officials in that group and not representing their constituents by siding with and paid organization like NYCLASS.
Bill De Blasio, not his real name has yet to answer a certified letter I sent him re: a corrupt slum lord turned developer who took the one entrance and exit for a construction site and chained & pad locked it shut chronically which is against the law. Every NYC gov division possible refused to do anything about it and OSHA said they would look in to it and did not. DOB was caught in lies, has aided and abetted this slum lord in moving in people without a Certificate of Occupancy. Explain why I should take anything he says seriously. I
n the meantime not one newspaper will cover Christine Quinn locking her own district the West Village and Chelsea out from testifying they demand a hospital.
http://mayorbloombergkingofnewyork.blogspot.com/2012/06/bloombergs-puppe...
She was too scared and ashamed to show her face to even greet her district along with her over paid huge staff of posers. One man 75 years old fainted from standing in the cold and the ambulance took a half hour and I called for an investigation in a meeting I had with Christine Quinn at City Hall after I yelled her down from these issues to the fact we have no hospital and if we have another terror attack what are we to do. Even with no terror attack what are we to do. Bill DeBlasio, mayor bloomberg don’t care that most of city council did not show up to hear Quinn’s district demand a hospital -- those that were finally let in 3 hours after Bill Rudin and his construction workers and retired NYPD he all has on the payroll....
Christine Quinn and Mike Bloomberg should serve a term in jai for their role in term limits and slush abuse denying us a referendum and their role in CityTime and allowing billions of dollars of over-runs the flawed 911 Tech system, CityTime, NYCAPS, ECTP, FDNY Wireless, Seedco, etc.
Bill DeBlasio why would anyone take you seriously. My direct experience is you are a zero who refused to hold Dept of Building accountable and by the way tell me why you changed your name Wilheim to Bill -- afraid the Jewish community wouldn’t be eager to vote your way?