NYC BAR ASSOCIATION IGNORES AC&C DYSFUNCTION AS AN ISSUE FOR THE NEXT MAYOR.
The New York City Bar Association just released its “Policy Recommendations for New York City’s Next Mayor.” The report presents what the Association views as key issues for the next Mayor’s consideration. Recommendations are first proposed at the committee level (such as the “Animal Law Committee”). Then they must pass muster with the Association’s top executives to make it into the final report.
We eagerly jumped to the section of the report entitled “Animal Law Issues.”
But to our amazement, the AC&C doesn’t even merit a mention.
Compared to the other animal issues[i] listed in the report, the AC&C’s dysfunction is unique in one important respect: the Mayor has exclusive and unfettered power to fix the AC&C. Under State Law, only the Mayor gets to decide who’s in charge of the City’s animal care and control.
Thus, only the Mayor can fix the AC&C’s dysfunction … by freeing it from the Department of Health’s control.
Doubtless some members of the New York Bar Association insist that Local Law 59 has fixed whatever ailed the AC&C. Yet, even one visit to an AC&C shelter is evidence that the AC&C still needs fixing. And evidence should be something near and dear to any lawyer’s heart.
AND SPEAKING OF POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR
NYC’S NEXT MAYOR …
On Monday, May 6th, NYClass is hosting a “Mayoral Forum on Animal Protection Issues” starting at 4:30 PM.Even though the NYC Bar Association doesn’t view AC&C dysfunction as worthy of the next Mayor’s attention, we trust the mayoral candidates attending the May 6th forum do not share that same opinion.
[i] The 3 animal law recommendations presented in the report are certainly important and we applaud their inclusion.