As the deadline for the taxi bill enters the 11th hour, Mayor Mike Bloomberg’s office is pushing the support of it from an influential quarter: Rev. Al Sharpton.
According to the release:
Reverend Al Sharpton, President of National Action Network, and one of the country’s foremost leaders for civil rights, along with the National Action Network’s Board of Directors, are appealing to NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo to sign the historic five-borough taxi legislation saying it is about fairness and justice: fairness for all of the neighborhoods that the yellow taxi industry has refused to serve for decades, and justice for 40,000 livery drivers who would finally be able to earn a living without hiding in the shadows.
According to Rev. Sharpton, “by signing this bill, the Governor will stand on the side of fairness and justice and would help deliver an early Christmas for so many underserved and struggling New Yorkers across our city.”
The appearance in this debate is a smart one for the Bloomberg administration. Mr. Cuomo has been accused of ignoring the African-American community–a community in which Mr. Sharpton is a heavy hitter to say the least–and it is very much a narrative that Mr. Cuomo would like to beat back.
Gov. Cuomo has threatened to veto the bill unless a provision is made for handicapped accessible livery cabs.