One of the two Mayoral candidates who will soon face off in a general election, De Blasio is the only one to present a plan that would look to specifically benefit immigrant owned small business owners, a portion that represents almost half of all small business owners.
Tourism officials are worried about their future: the industry has seldom been discussed at mayoral debates and few concrete plans to increase tourism in the city have been discussed.
The horse-drawn carriage industry, comprised of about 300 drivers and more than 200 horses, is harshly criticized by animal rights groups who say the horses are mistreated, don’t belong in city traffic, and could successfully be replaced with electric cars. But the drivers say they are animal lovers who work with very healthy horses, the industry wouldn’t survive if electric cars took over, and tourism could suffer.