(video excerpted from DC Gov)
Friday afternoon, at a hastily scheduled and poorly publicized roundtable hearing before Ward 7 D.C. Councilmember Yvette Alexander, D.C. taxicab drivers unanimously testified in opposition to the nomination of Elliot Ferguson to the D.C. Taxicab Commission. Taxicab drivers did not dispute the qualifications of Mr. Ferguson, who serves as CEO of Destination DC. Rather, taxicab drivers pointed to their lack of representation on the Commission: There is not a single taxicab driver on the D.C. Taxicab Commission.
Haimanot Bizuayehu is a D.C. taxicab driver and chairman of United Ventures Consortium, a federation of six cab companies. Mr. Bizuayehu said, “If the process moves forward and Mr. Ferguson gets confirmed, it will be a violation of the law… The 1985 Taxicab Commission Establishment 
Act clearly states that at least three of the DCTC Commissioners shall be representatives from the taxicab industry who advocate for the drivers. As of today, we, the drivers, are not represented on the DCTC.”
Pete Tucker joined D.C. taxicab drivers in calling on Councilmember Alexander to hold off on moving forward with the nomination of Mr. Ferguson until D.C. taxicab drivers are represented on the D.C. Taxicab Commission.