Eric Adams, who once bragged about being a mayor with \u201cswagger,\u201d nearly sauntered into federal prison in handcuffs. Federal prosecutors charged him with bribery and other corruption-related crimes. Adams avoided a trial and a likely conviction only because President Trump\u2019s administration surprisingly petitioned the judge to dismiss the case.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Did our cocky mayor learn anything?<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a valid question because the mayor\u2019s sudden support for Ryder\u2019s Law<\/a>, which would ban horse-carriage rides, smells worse than a truckload of manure. The flip-flop comes after years of Adams\u2019 supporting the carriage drivers and after he made promises not to do the bidding of NYCLASS<\/a>, which has been seeking a carriage-ride ban for more than 15 years.<\/p>\n Connect the dots:<\/p>\n Mastro represented NYCLASS when it was fined in 2013 nearly $40,000 for campaign finance violations related to some City Council races. He also represented NYCLASS, Nislick, and co-founder Wendy Neu, yet another millionaire developer, when they were being investigated by the state Commission on Ethics and Lobbying. They agreed in 2018 to pay a fine in connection with $125,000 in donations Nislick and Neu made to a shady nonprofit de Blasio created to push his policies.<\/p>\n Adams is desperate. He is dead last in the polls. He is losing to former Gov. Cuomo, who was compelled to resign after a barrage of sexual harassment allegations. He is even losing to Curtis Sliwa, who clownishly wears a red beret. Sliwa would be a funny character if he wasn\u2019t a pathological liar. His past lies include falsely claiming he was abducted by NYPD police officers, a fabrication just to get publicity.<\/p>\n Adams made commitments to me and TWU Local 100 President Emeritus Tony Utano that he supported the horse-carriage drivers, approximately 170 blue-collar men and women who provide the iconic Central Park carriage rides. Adams knew the horses weren\u2019t being mistreated. He knew these were important family-supporting tourism jobs, mostly held by immigrants and children of immigrants.\u00a0<\/p>\n In fact, Adams made some significant improvements \u2014 long requested by drivers and the union \u2014 to enhance animal welfare. For example, an additional granite water trough, first installed in 1911, was moved from Brooklyn to the carriage-horse stand at Seventh Ave. (The other two hack stands had water troughs). The mayor\u2019s office, along with the Transportation, Environmental Protection, and Parks departments, was involved, as were the Central Parks Conservancy and the Landmarks Commission. The trough was turned on in the fall of 2023.\u00a0<\/p>\n Anyone who has dealt with government bureaucracy knows that such coordination and action by multiple agencies could only happen with direction from the top.<\/p>\n Before announcing support for Ryder\u2019s Law, Adams didn\u2019t even bother to consult the Health Department\u2019s Office of Veterinary and Pest Control Services, which oversees the carriage horses and has first-hand knowledge of their care. The department posted an opening for a full-time equine veterinarian<\/a> job on Sept. 6. That wouldn\u2019t have happened if the DOH had known the mayor was about to flip-flop.<\/p>\n Shockingly, Adams doesn\u2019t even know what\u2019s in Ryder\u2019s Law. His official Facebook<\/a> page says it will replace carriages with \u201cmodern, electric alternatives.\u201d That was in a previous proposed law that failed to pass the Council.<\/p>\n NYCLASS has failed to secure a City Council-imposed carriage-horse ban partly because every horse expert and veterinarian who has visited the stables has determined that the horses are well cared for by their drivers, veterinarians, and 24-hour stable staff. Despite NYCLASS cherry-picking isolated incidents to demonize the drivers and foment controversy, experts have found no systemic abuse.\u00a0<\/p>\n Many have been flummoxed by Adams\u2019 sudden betrayal of the carriage-horse drivers. We believe that big money, real estate money, is involved. This sudden turnaround stinks to high heaven.<\/p>\n\n