Bill to Counteract Local Law 59; AC&C Extends Hours to pull animals from “At Risk” List

Queens Councilmember Peter Vallone, Jr. Sponsors Antidote to Local Law 59

City Council member Peter Vallone, Jr. has introduced a bill requiring the City to create full service shelters in the Bronx and Queens. Queens Councilmember Peter Vallone, Jr.

A Quixotic quest?  After all, in mid-2011 the ASPCA and The Mayor’s Alliance secretly negotiated a deal with City Council Speaker Christine Quinn relieving the Department of Health of its longstanding  obligation to create those missing shelters. That deal became Local Law 59. and since then the DOH claims that things are fine and dandy in the Bronx and Queens even without those shelters.

We disagree.

It’s obvious that the City never intended to create those shelters, viewing any money spent on homeless animals to be a waste of taxpayer dollars.So Local Law 59 effectively rewarded the DOH and the Mayor’s office for 11 years of heel-dragging and hollow excuses.Councilmember Vallone, Jr. predicts his bill will be stonewalled by the current City Council.  (NOTE: This is an election year, and because of term limits 32 of the 51 City Council seats must have new occupants come January 1, 2014).  We’ll keep you posted on those council members who play a key role in attempting to stonewall Mr. Vallone’s bill.