The Voice of DC Cab Drivers, July 17, 2011: A Discussion on Service Animals in Cabs; Wells Removed as Chair of Transportation Committee

Posted on July 18, 2011 by admin

LISTEN TO THE VOICE OF DC CAB DRIVERS, July 17:

Councilmember Tommy Wells outside the Council Chamber Tuesday, shortly after speaking with reporters about his removal as chair of the Committee on Public Works and Transporation by Council Chair Kwame Brown

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(In addition to listening to The Voice of DC Cab Drivers live on WUST 1120 AM, you can listen live on your phone at (712) 432-6620 or online at wust1120.com.)

Tonight, we host a discussion on the difficulty in hailing a cab for those with service animals. We’ll be joined by Jim Dickson of the American Association of People with Disabilities and the Equal Rights Center. Dickson was testifying at the June 22 Taxicab Commission hearing when the Park Police entered and arrested two reporters, myself and Jim Epstein of Reason TV. Appearing recently on NewsChannel 8’s NewsTalk, Dickson discussed the event with host Bruce DePuyt

[Jim Dickson on NewsTalk]

This is The Voice of DC Cab Drivers, brought to you by Dominion of Cab Drivers, a member of The Small Business Association of DC Taxicab Drivers.

The Small Business Association consists of the following driver-owned cab companies and associations: Allied, Ambassador, Black Pearl, Camel, DC Professional Taxicab Drivers’ Association, Dominion, Grand, Luxury, Pleasant, Seasons, Swift, Travelers, UCC, Washingtonian, Welcome, and Wonder Cab.

For those interested in becoming a member of The Small Business Association of DC Taxicab Drivers you can find out more information by visiting the offices of the driver owned companies that make up The Small Business Association, such as UCC, Luxury and Grand.

You don’t have to be a member of a driver-owned company to join. For example, even if you work for, say, Silver Cab, owned by Mohammad Momen, or if you work for any of the more than dozen cab companies owned by Jerry Schaeffer, you can still become a member of The Small Business Association.

Of course, if you’re driving for Jerry Schaeffer or for Mohammad Momen, you’re working for an owner who supported a medallion bill that would have caused thousands of drivers to lose their jobs.

That medallion bill has been held up, thanks to the impressive efforts of countless drivers and the organizing of The Small Business Association of DC Taxicab Drivers.

Speaking to Washington Post reporter Mike DeBonis, Ward 3 Councilmember Mary Cheh, chair of the newly formed Committee on the Environment, Public Works and Transportation, said of the medallion bill, “It’s one of those things that doesn’t sound like such a great idea.”

Councilmember Mary Cheh now has oversight of the Taxicab Commission after Ward 6 Councilmember Tommy Wells was removed as chair of the Committee on Public Works and Transportation.

Tuesday, Council Chair Kwame Brown discussed his unprecedented committee reshuffling and insisted that his removal of Wells as chair of the Committee on Public Works and Transportation was not political payback for Wells’ investigation into Brown’s ordering of a “fully loaded” Lincoln Navigator.

Here is Council Chair Kwame Brown’s comments from Tuesday about why he shuffled around the committees. He is questioned by Tom Sherwood of NBC4, Washington Post reporter Tim Craig and Patrick Madden of WAMU.

[Council Chair Kwame Brown]

Tuesday, Wells also spoke with reporters. Wells said, “it’s never happened in the history of the city council that six or seven months in, for no cause… a committee has been shifted like that.” Wells said, “It’s not a good precedent for the city and it’s not good government.”

[Tommy Wells]

Later, Wells answered additional questions, including from Tom Sherwood of NBC4.

[Tommy Wells]

Late Friday night, Councilmember Wells broke the news that Scott Kubly, who is a Taxicab Commissioner, will no longer be working for DDOT, the District Department of Transportation. Wells tweeted, “streetcar czar Scott Kubly leaves DDOT.”

City Paper noted, “Scott Kubly, who has been in charge of the District Department of Transportation’s Progressive Transportation Services Administration since 2009, is stepping down. Kubly is perhaps best known for his management of the streetcar, but his portfolio also includes the Circulator bus and Bikeshare programs.”

Councilmember Wells favorably compared Kubly to former City Administrator and WMATA interim general manager Dan Tangherlini. Wells said, Kubly is “impatient creative & effective in gov’t.”

But D.C. taxicab drivers feel a bit differently about Kubly, who has served on the Taxicab Commission for several years. Earlier today, native Washingtonian and Yellow Cab Driver Carolyn Robinson, a member of The Small Business Association of DC Taxicab Drivers, discussed Scott Kubly’s service on the Taxicab Commission.

[Carolyn Robinson]

Tuesday, appearing on WTOP’s Ask the Mayor with Mark Segraves, Mayor Vincent Gray said of the Taxicab Commission, “We want to get a permanent Taxicab Chairman in there… and then we’ll make some decisions about the future configuration of the Taxicab Commission.” Gray also said that Interim Chair Dena Reed was not on the list of candidates being considered for the position of permanent chair.

[Mayor Gray on WTOP]

Well, last week, here on The Voice of DC Cab Drivers we hosted a debate on the future of the Taxicab Commission. The position of The Small Business Association of DC Taxicab Drivers is that the Taxicab Commission should not be eliminated, but instead should be brought into compliance with the 1985 Taxicab Commission Establishment Act which calls for three industry representatives to be on the Commission. Presently, there are none.

Joining us last week were two of the leading voices calling for the Taxicab Commission to be reconfigured, if not eliminated: David Alpert, editor in chief of Greater Greater Washington, and Washington Post reporter Mike DeBonis, who joined us in studio.

You can listen to the full debate at TheFightBack.org. Here is a clip from last week’s show, beginning with Haimanot Bizuayehu, board member of The Small Business Association of DC Taxicab Drivers. Bizuayehu laid out his concern that if the Taxicab Commission is folded into a larger agency, like DDOT, drivers will be further disenfranchised. Following Bizuayehu’s comments, you’ll hear from Washington Post reporter Mike DeBonis and then David Alpert of Greater Greater Washington.

[Clip from debate on Taxicab Commission]

Ermias Wosenu is a member of The Small Business Association and organizes a popular Saturday night phone conference which deals with the latest issues facing D.C. taxicab drivers. Every Saturday night from 9:00-11:00 p.m., you can join the conversation by calling (712) 432-3100 and the code 140 465.

In the past, we’ve described the Saturday night conversation as a phone conference for those speaking Amharic, but increasingly it’s being conducted in both Amharic and English. Last night, for example, I worked with Ermias to produce a half-hour segment for the phone conference, and we’ll now be doing that on a weekly basis, as we work our way up to producing a full hour in English, as well as a full hour in Amharic.

At the June 22 public meeting of the Taxicab Commission, Jim Dickson of the American Association of People with Disabilities was testifying when U.S. Park Police officers entered the auditorium and arrested me, and then another reporter, Jim Epstein of Reason TV. Here’s some of Dickson’s June 22 testimony, which was interrupted by the arrest.

[Dickson Testimony]

Joining us on the line is Jim Dickson of the American Association of People Disabilities.

Also joining us on the line is Pete Harman, a driver with Diamond and a member of Dominion and The Small Business Association of DC Taxicab Drivers. And Negede Abebe, chair of Grand and Travelers Cab Companies, and a board member of The Small Business Association.

[Live discussion on hailing a cab with a service animal]

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