Interestingly, there was a time when de Blasio was more blasé about these animal-rights concerns. In fact, when he had the chance as a City Council member to support legislation banishing NYC’s hansom cabs in 2007, he balked. Now, though, he leaves no doubt as to his position.
“We are going to quickly and aggressively move to make horse carriages no longer a part of the landscape in New York City,” de Blasio said. “They are not humane. They are not appropriate to the year 2014. It’s over.”
Records show that Steve Nislick, who co-founded the animal-rights group NYCLASS, has ponied up the maximum $4,950 for de Blasio’s campaign. Two other NYCLASS pals, Wendy and John Neu, have chipped in $9,900.
More importantly, the organization has spent $774,000 in ads against a key de Blasio Democratic rival, Christine Quinn.
But this is where it really gets interesting. Because it turns out that this Steve Nislick isn’t just another Greenpeace retread.
At issue here is an entity named Edison Properties, which is, real-estate writer Michael Gross reported in 2009, “a real estate development and management company” that just happens to have two businesses, “Manhattan Mini-Storage and Edison ParkFast — with multiple locations in the same Far West Midtown neighborhood as the stables where the Central Park horses are housed.”
Now, can you guess who is both the CEO of Edison and the man who conjured up the idea of replacing NYC’s horse-drawn carriages with electric cars?
Looking into Trump and the Wollman Rink reminded me of this:
Is Bill de Blasio Trading Horses for Money?
Interestingly, there was a time when de Blasio was more blasé about these animal-rights concerns. In fact, when he had the chance as a City Council member to support legislation banishing NYC’s hansom cabs in 2007, he balked. Now, though, he leaves no doubt as to his position.
“We are going to quickly and aggressively move to make horse carriages no longer a part of the landscape in New York City,” de Blasio said. “They are not humane. They are not appropriate to the year 2014. It’s over.”