NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is reportedly going to try again to ban horse-drawn carriages by next month — a move he vowed to make "on Day 1" as he campaigned for the city’s top job in 2013.
Now, with six weeks left of his mayoral role, The New York Times reports de Blasio's administration has began developing legislation that would phase out their use in Central Park and replace them with "show cars."
The Times, which obtained a trove of City Hall emails marked "confidential," noted de Blasio's push and said his office has directed the Economic Development Corporation to coordinate with consulting firm, Langan Engineering, to analyze a proposal that focuses on its impact on the city.
The use of "show cars" was reportedly not defined during the email discussion that was sent between late October and last week, nor has de Blasio publicly announced a plan.
However, the emails allegedly show the city officials are hoping to have legislation ready by Dec. 16, when the City Council is set to have its last full meeting of the year.
It is also not yet clear if the body would move forward with a ban.
"The Council has not received a proposal from the mayor," said Council spokesperson Shirley Limong, said in a statement. "We will review anything we do receive."
Danielle Filson, spokesperson for the mayor, told the Times that de Blasio has always wanted to ban horse-drawn carriages.
New Yorkers for Clean, Livable, and Safe Streets, or NYCLASS, who helped oust de Blasio's chief rival, then-City Council speaker Christine Quinn, during the 2013 mayoral race — in part because she did not support a ban on horse carriages — urged the mayor once elected to act on his promise.
Though de Blasio tried to make a push in 2016 to reduce the number horses on city streets and confine them to Central Park, that effort failed.
The NYC animal rights group has continued to sound off on the mistreatment of carriage horses, even recently with an effort to save an "emaciated, sick" horse in August.
Steve Nislick, NYCLASS' co-founder, argued to the Times that carriage-horse drivers only make money by "mistreating" these animals.
"Why should that exist? Someone has to give me the reason why that should exist," he said.
Edita Birnkrant, executive director of NYCLASS, called the mayor's reported goal "long overdue."
"We welcome all efforts to transition from the carriage horse industry — one that is responsible for abuse, neglect and violent crashes that put animals and New Yorkers in deadly danger," she said. "It's long overdue that New York joined other global cities in shifting to abuse-free, electric-powered vehicles that provide drivers with better paying jobs."
Carriage driver Christina Hansen denied the horses are ever mistreated and argued de Blasio would be playing "the Grinch" if he were to implement a ban ahead of the Christmas season.
"The Christmas carriage ride is a New York City tradition," she said. "And here you’ve got Bill de Blasio playing the Grinch."
Tony Utano, president of the Transport Workers Union Local 100, said the new effort is a "pathetic, shameful, and all-too familiar transactional maneuver by Mayor de Blasio to get even more campaign money from his campaign backers."
1010 WINS reached out to the mayor's office and NYCLASS for comment.
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