De Blasio Says He'll Revive Carriage Horse Ban As Union Demands Probe
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Mayor Bill de Blasio is insisting that he will try to revive a plan to limit carriage horses.
The Teamsters union pulled out of a deal last week that would have restricted the horses to a portion of Central Park and also placed boundaries on where pedicabs can go.
That prompted the City Council to pull the plug on the bill a day before it was slated to come to a vote, delivering de Blasio a humbling political defeat.
The Transport Workers Union accuses the mayor of a "relentless quest to kill the horse carriage industry," and asked State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, along with the Campaign Finance Board, to investigate whether campaign contributions and real estate interests have influenced de Blasio's position, 1010 WINS' Sonia Rincon reported.
"We're asking that the Attorney General take a look at the relationship between what we view as these incestuous relationships between real estate developers who contributed to de Blasio's campaign and efforts then to shape New York City policy based on the desires of the campaign contributors," John Samuelson, President of TWU Local 100, said.
De Blasio noted he's had disagreements with the transport worker's union over past plans, including Vision Zero, an initiative meant to crack down on traffic violations, as well as his affordable housing initiatives, WCBS 880's Rich Lamb reported.
"It's foolish, it's just foolish," de Blasio said.
While running for mayor, de Blasio promised to ban the carriage horse industry and proposed replacing them with electric cars. That plan was met intense opposition and further efforts to address the issue also faltered.
De Blasio said he still believes horse carriage legislation is necessary.
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