Council Member Gennaro argues horse carriage industry has clean safety record

Thank you, Councilmember Gennaro, followed by Lewis.

Thank you very much, Mr.

Majority Leader, and I apologize for being indisposed, if you will.

I think it's important to put on the record, I sent this in an email to everyone yesterday, that I don't think everyone really knows this.

That in the 168-year history of the industry, not one person in this industry has ever been convicted of animal cruelty in the entire history of the industry.

Not one driver in the history of the industry has ever had his or her horse carriage driver's license revoked or even suspended.

Not one horse carriage medallion owner in the history of the industry has ever had his or her medallion.

revoked or even suspended.

And, you know, much has been made of recent incidents that have happened with the carriage industry last year, year and a half, whatever it is, but the same number of incidents are always talked about.

I think what people fail to understand, and this did not come up in our deliberations,

was that every single one of those incidents, both in the last year and from the beginning of the industry, have been investigated by the regulators.

And the incidents that are getting the most attention have all been investigated.

By the New York City Police Department Mountain Unit and the Department of Health.

In all of these incidents, there was not even the issuance of a ticket because

it didn't rise to that level based on the investigation of the authorities that made that call.

I think if the council were really interested in figuring out how to do things better and to challenge the police department and to challenge the health department, we should have an oversight hearing that talks about that stuff and we can figure out how to go forward.

But this whole notion that these incidents are the end of the world, they're bad, but...

Thank you, Council Member.

Yes.

I appreciate that.