4/19/01 - Good news for NYC ferret enthusiasts... Today the 9 members of
the NY City Council's Health Committee voted in FAVOR of sending the bill
to the entire council for a vote (5 for, 1 against, 2 abstained, 1 absent).
 
The No vote was Una Clarke of Brooklyn, who touted herself as a former
schoolteacher.  (I guess she didn't do her homework.) If you live in her
district, make sure you contact her to let her know how you feel about what
she did, and urge her to change her vote next month in the full council.
Council members Sheldon Leffler (D-Manhattan) and James Oddo (R-Staten
Island) abstained because they claimed they didn't know enough about the
issue.  They need to be educated by their constituents, too.
 
This got some tv press tonight, including an endorsement by Council Speaker
(and Mayoral candidate) Peter Vallone, and the usual nasty dismissive
remarks by Mayor Giuliani at his daily press conference.  Check Friday
morning's papers for more coverage.
 
Because the Mayor is sure to veto the bill when it's passed, it's IMPORTANT
that we all contact our council members to ensure the two-thirds needed to
override his veto.  There are 51 council members, all but 7 are democrats.
 
In the mean time, I urge you to support Kathryn Freed, the bill's sponsor,
in her bid to become NYC Public Advocate.  We need to keep ferret-friendly
politicians in office.  You can find info on her at
http://members.aol.com/NYCFerrets/freed/campaign/camp_running.html
 
Also, NYC Ferrets is at http://members.aol.com/NYCFerrets
 
The next vote should come in about a month, so we don't have much time.
More on what we need to do later.  For now, let's just be thankful the ball
is rolling toward ferret legalization in NYC!
[Posted in FML issue 3393]