Council Member Morano explains vote in favor of horse carriage ban
Council Member Frank Morano explains his vote in favor of Intro 943A, acknowledging that reasonable people disagree. He believes horses are not machines and that ending the industry is necessary, while also supporting transition assistance for workers.
Mealy.
Moranil.
Permission to explain my vote?
Permission granted.
Thank you, Majority Leader, for recognizing me.
I want to briefly explain my vote today in favor of Intro 943A because I recognize that this is an issue on which reasonable people, including people I respect enormously, can disagree.
A lot of my friends in organized labor oppose the legislation, so do some of my fellow Republicans.
And I understand their concerns about protecting jobs and preserving traditions and respecting the people who've built their livelihoods around this industry.
And those concerns deserve to be taken seriously.
I don't believe every carriage driver mistreats animals.
I believe a lot of drivers genuinely care about their horses and take pride in their work.
But horses are living animals.
They're not machines.
Even a healthy, well-trained horse can become frightened and react unpredictably.
You can regulate human behavior, but you can't regulate away animal instinct in the streets of Manhattan.
The tragic death of 18-year-old Romach Mahajan brought that reality into particularly sharp focus.
He came to New York City with his family to celebrate his high school graduation and the beginning of his college education.
Instead, his family suffered.
unimaginable loss.
I also recognize that ending an industry has real consequences for the people employed in it, and these workers deserve meaningful transition assistance, employment opportunities, and fair treatment.
Those responsibilities don't disappear with today's vote, and I'm eager to work with my colleagues on helping these folks.
And the horses deserve responsible, humane retirement arrangements.
I believe it's possible to respect the people who work in an industry while conceding and concluding that the industry itself should come to an end.
I want to particularly recognize our former colleague, former council member Bob Holden, who championed this legislation long before today's vote.
His years of work deserve acknowledgement.
I also want to thank Speaker Menon for her leadership and all the advocates, including the man who should be mayor, Curtis Lewa.
With that, I saw how quick the majority leader was to cut me off.
With that, I will vote aye on all with the exception of Intro 786A, Intro 905A, and Reso 695, on which I vote no.
Thank you, Councilman.