We the public should not pay off Mayor de Blasio’s political debts. The City Council bill to ban the passage of horse drawn carriages from driving to and from their stables to Central Park is a terrible idea. This is a campaign promise that he made to developer Steve Nislick and NYCLASS in return for a major financial contribution. Now we have the Mayor asking taxpayers to honor his debt with a $25 million stable taking up park land so that the four existing private stable sites can be developed with yet more mega towers. This is the same Steve Nislick who received former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani’s support to tear down the High Line, destined to become one of the most successful and popular parks of the 21st Century.
The injuries to pedestrians and cyclists caused by motor vehicles have been far greater than those to horses, but the Mayor has not yet banned those of us on two feet, though he is trying to do so at Times Square. Safe passage to and from the stables can be provided with dedicated hours on curbside lanes as is done for bicycles and buses at far less cost than costly stables a mile and a half north of their boarding places on 59th Street. We have to stop this attack on the city and its horses
— Barry Benepe
49 Jane Street
