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WHAT WE DO - AND DON’T - KNOW ABOUT THE CARRIAGE HORSE DEAL NEWS ANALYSIS What happened, what’s W ne and what does it next, mea mean for the park? Campaigning for office, Bill Cam de Blasio made eliminating B the city’s carriage horses a central plank of his mayoral cen run, ru vowing to introduce a ban ba on Day 1 of his new administration. mi Two Tw years into office, nowMayor May de Blasio this week an-
nounced his plan. But the move, which doesn’t ban the horses but moves them and reduced their number, raises a host of new questions, while infuriating many of the anti-carriage activists who helped get de Blasio elected.
on Sunday a deal that would eventually reduce the number of licensed horses from about 220 to 75. The agreement also limits the operation of horsedrawn carriages, with the exception of travel to and from their existing stables, to Central Park beginning June 1. De Blasio conceded that the agreement would not completely meet his campaign promise to eliminate the carriages, but he nevertheless
What’s the proposal? De Blasio, flanked by Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and a representative from the union that represents the carriage drivers, announced
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PICTURE BOOK ABOUT WASHINGTON AND HIS SLAVES IS PULLED NEWS Depicted slaves as happy and upbeat BY HILLEL ITALIE
Scholastic is pulling a new picture book about George Washington and his slaves amid objections it sentimentalizes a brutal part of American history. “A Birthday Cake for George Washington” was released Jan. 5 and had been strongly criticized for its upbeat images and story of Washington’s cook, the slave Hercules and his daughter, Delia. Its withdrawal was announced Sunday.
“While we have great respect for the integrity and scholarship of the author, illustrator and editor, we believe that, without more historical background on the evils of slavery than this book for younger children can provide, the book may give a false impression of the reality of the lives of slaves and therefore should be withdrawn,” the children’s publisher said in a statement released to the AP. The book, which depicts Hercules and Delia preparing a cake for Washington, has received more than 100 one-star reviews on Amazon.com. As of Sunday evening, only 12 reviews were positive. The book also set off discussions on Facebook, Twitter and elsewhere on social media.
While notes in “A Birthday Cake for George Washington” from author Ramin Ganeshram and illustrator Vanessa Brantley-Newton had pointed out the historical context of the 18th century story and that Hercules eventually escaped, some critics faulted Ganeshram and Brantley-Newton for leaving out those details from the main narrative. “Oh, how George Washington loves his cake!” reads the publisher’s description of the story. “And, oh, how he depends on Hercules, his head chef, to make it for him. Hercules, a slave, takes great pride in baking the president’s cake. But this year there is
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Our Take ‘HAMILTON’ AND THE CARRIAGE HORSES In “Hamilton,” the musical, a battle-weary George Washington gives some advice to the eager, but naive, Alexander Hamilton. “Winning was easy, young man,” Washington tells his protege. “Governing’s harder.” The line comes to mind this week in light of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s about-face on banning carriage horses in Central Park. During his campaign, the mayor drew support (and a ton of money) from the anti-horse carriage crowd for vowing -- on Day One! -- to introduce legislation that would ban horses from the city. Once he got into office, though, de Blasio found that an outright ban wasn’t as easy as he thought. Governing, it turns out, was harder. What de Blasio ended up with was a compromise, of sorts, that speaks to the difficulties of making tough choices in a messy city. The horse-carriage population was reduced, but not eliminated (pleasing the union); the stables were moved inside the park, placating some animal-rights concerns; and a pesky, disorganized pedicab industry was offered up as a sacrifice. It probably was the best anyone could do, given the forces at play. But the lesson here is one de Blasio should study as he moves forward: Making blanket policy pronouncements in a city like New York, before studying the facts on the grouind, may feel good in the moment, but is unlikely to survive the messy business of governing and compromise. Just ask George Washington.
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FOR HIM, SETTLING SMALL CLAIMS IS A BIG DEAL presided over Arbitration Man has three decades. for informal hearings about it He’s now blogging BY RICHARD KHAVKINE
is the common Arbitration Man their jurist. least folks’ hero. Or at Man has For 30 years, Arbitration court office of the civil few sat in a satellite Centre St. every building at 111 New Yorkers’ weeks and absorbed dry cleaning, burned lost accountings of fender benders, lousy paint jobs, and the like. And security deposits then he’s decided. Arbitration Man, About a year ago, so to not afwho requested anonymity started docuhe fect future proceedings, two dozen of what menting about compelling cases considers his most blog. in an eponymous about it because “I decided to write the stories but in a I was interested about it not from wanted to write from view but rather lawyer’s point of said Arbitration view,” of a lay point lawyer since 1961. Man, a practicing what’s at issue He first writes about post, renders and then, in a separatehow he arrived his decision, detailing blog the to Visitors at his conclusion. their opinions. often weigh in with get a rap going. I to “I really want whether they unreally want to know and why I did it,” I did derstood what don’t know how to he said. “Most people ... I’d like my cases the judge thinks. and also my trereflect my personalitythe law.” for mendous respect 80, went into indiMan, Arbitration suc in 1985, settling vidual practice
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MANHATTAN'S APARTMENT BOOM, > PROPERTY, P.20
2015
In Brief MORE HELP FOR SMALL BUSINESS
The effort to help small seems to businesses in the city be gathering steam. Two city councilmembers, Robert Margaret Chin and Cornegy, have introduced create legislation that wouldSmall a new “Office of the within Business Advocate” of Small the city’s Department Business Services. Chin The new post, which have up told us she’d like to would and running this year, for serve as an ombudsman city small businesses within them clear government, helping to get through the bureaucracy things done. Perhaps even more also importantly, the ombudsman and number will tally the type small business of complaints by taken in owners, the actions policy response, and somefor ways to recommendations If done well, begin to fix things. report would the ombudsman’s give us the first quantitative with taste of what’s wrong the city, an small businesses in towards important first step fixing the problem. of for deTo really make a difference, is a mere formality will have to the work process looking to complete their advocate are the chances course, velopers precinct, but rising rents, -- thanks to a find a way to tackle business’ is being done legally of after-hours projects quickly. their own hours,” which remain many While Chin “They pick out boom in the number throughout who lives on most vexing problem. said Mildred Angelo,of the Ruppert construction permits gauge what Buildings one said it’s too early tocould have the 19th floor in The Department of the city. number three years, the Houses on 92nd Street between role the advocate She Over the past on the is handing out a record work perThird avenues. permits, there, more information of Second and an ongoing all-hours number of after-hours bad thing. of after-hours work the city’s Dept. problem can’t be a said there’s with the mits granted by nearby where according to new data jumped 30 percent, This step, combinedBorough construction project noise Buildings has data provided in workers constantly make efforts by Manhattan to mediate BY DANIEL FITZSIMMONS according to DOB of Informacement from trucks. President Gale Brewer offer response to a Freedom classifies transferring they want. They knows the the rent renewal process, request. The city They 6 “They do whatever signs Every New Yorker clang, tion Act go as they please. work between some early, tangible small any construction on the weekend, can come and sound: the metal-on-metal or the piercing of progress. For many have no respect.” p.m. and 7 a.m., can’t come of these that the hollow boom, issuance reverse. owners, in business moving The increased beeps of a truck has generto a correspond and you as after-hours. soon enough. variances has led at the alarm clock The surge in permits
SLEEPS, THANKS TO THE CITY THAT NEVER UCTION A BOOM IN LATE-NIGHT CONSTR NEWS
A glance it: it’s the middle can hardly believe yet construction of the night, and carries on full-tilt. your local police or You can call 311
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