How did the horse-drawn carriage trade develop? How does it affect city life, the health of humans and animals, and the local economy? What reforms are possible, and what are the obstacles? Join us for a discussion of solutions to a public policy challenge facing New Yorkers.

Join us for a panel discussion featuring:
• John Phillips, Executive Director, New York League of Humane Voters (NYLHV)
• Dr. Pam Corey, Director, Equine Veterinary Services, American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA)
• Peter Eisinger, Henry Cohen Professor, Milano The New School for Management and Urban Policy
• Patrick Kwan, New York State Director, Humane Society of the United States
• Steve Nislick, President and CEO, Edison Properties, LLC, Co-President, NYCLASS, board member, Milano The New School for Management and Urban Policy
• Lisa J. Servon, Dean, The New School for General Studies and Milano The New School for Management and Urban Policy

When & Where:
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
8:30 to 10:00 am
Harold and Percy Uris Library
Jonathan and Cynthia Fanton Hall
Milano The New School for Management and Urban Policy
72 Fifth Avenue (between 13th and 14th Streets), 7th floor

This is a FREE event and Seating is limited. Kindly RSVP to milanoevents@newschool.edu

NYLHV’s Gala 2009 was a roaring success! Over 350 people attended the Gala, which sold out three weeks in advance!

Governor David A. Paterson gave a historic keynote speech, passionately describing “the sacred tradition of honoring those living things and those beautiful things that were granted to us …” and urging the NYLHV to continue to advocate for these principles. Governor Paterson’s speech is believed to be the first address of its kind by a sitting governor to the membership of a major animal protection group.

At the Gala, Executive Director John Phillips set forth the NYLHV’s many successes in this year’s elections and progress toward enacting animal-friendly legislation. The Gala honored five individuals for their accomplishments on behalf of animal rights:
- Wendy Kelman Neu and John L. Neu of the Hugo Neu Corporation,
- United States Representative Eliot L. Engel of the Bronx,
- Brad Goldberg, Chair of Humane Education Advocates Reaching Teachers and former Senior Vice President at Jennison Associates, a subsidiary of Prudential Financial, and
- Donny Moss, documentary filmmaker and director of Blinders, which exposes the brutal treatment of carriage horses.

The Gala was held in the stately Prince George Ballroom. Those in attendance mingled with celebrities and politicians during a cocktail hour, accompanied by a live pianist. The cocktail hour was followed by an entirely vegan, organic, gourmet three-course dinner.

Special appearances were made by NYC Public Advocate-elect Bill de Blasio, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, NYS Senator Daniel Squadron, NYS Assembly Member Brian Kavanagh, NYS Assembly Member Linda Rosenthal, NYS Assembly Member Dick Gottfried, NYC Council Member Peter Vallone, Jr., NYC Council Member Gale Brewer, NYC Council Member Elizabeth Crowley, Ulster County Legislator Brian Shapiro, NYS Democratic Party Executive Committee Member Lewis Goldstein, State Committeeman Ron Savage and Manhattan District Leader Mark Levine.

Other special guests at the Gala included (in alphabetical order) Farm Sanctuary President and Co-Founder Gene Baur, GirlieGirl Army’s Chloe Jo Berman, Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary’s Jenny Brown and Doug Abel, fashion designer Leanne Hilgart Meyer, “Super Size Me” co-star and author Alex Jamieson, “Discerning Brute” Joshua Katcher, author & political guru Julie Lewin, world-renowned artist Peter Max, Mercy for Animals founder Nathan Runkle, ASPCA CEO Ed Sayres, CNN’s Jane Velez-Mitchell, “Bizarro” comic creator Dan Piraro and singer/songwriter Rachel Trachtenburg.

Sponsors made the Gala possible through their generous support! The NYLHV has the deepest gratitude for the generosity of Gala Sponsors Wendy and John Neu, Mary & Peter Max, Cynthia King Dance Studio, Sublime Restaurant and Dodge Landesman.

Finally, we would like to thank you - the members of the NYLHV - for your support. The appearance by Governor Paterson and many other notable politicians at the Gala shows that the NYLHV has gained their attention. Politicians know that there are many millions of voters in this city and across the country who care about animal protection. They also know that through the NYLHV these voters have mobilized and will hold them accountable. With the support of its members, the NYLHV is looking forward to redoubling its efforts for animals.

Check out some stunning pictures from the Gala here and here. Videos from Gala 2009, including Governor Paterson’s historic keynote address, are available on YouTube here.

Please join us for the New York League of Humane Voters Gala 2009. This special event is Thursday, November 12 at six o’clock in the evening at the famous Prince George Ballroom, 15 E. 27th Street (between Madison & Fifth Avenues). Our Keynote Speaker is New York State Governor David A. Paterson.

Special appearances by NYC’s next Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, NYS Assembly Member Linda Rosenthal, NYS Assembly Member Brian Kavanagh, NYC Council Member Gale Brewer, NYC Council Member Rosie Mendez, NYC Council Member Elizabeth Crowley and Ulster County Legislator Brian Shapiro.

Celebrity guests include Farm Sanctuary co-founder Gene Baur, GirlieGirl Army’s Chloe Jo Berman, Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary founders Jenny Brown and Doug Abel, “Super Size Me” co-star and author Alex Jamieson, ”Discerning Brute” Joshua Katcher, author & political guru Julie Lewin, world-renowned artist Peter Max, ”Bizarro” comic creator Dan Piraro, rapper Princess Superstar, Mercy for Animals founder Nathan Runkle, actress and author Ally Sheedy, singer/songwriter Rachel Trachtenburg, CNN’s Jane Velez-Mitchell and ”Whale Wars” star Captain Paul Watson.

Our honorees are business leaders Wendy and John Neu, Congressman Eliot L. Engel, HEART Chairman Brad Goldberg and “Blinders” filmmaker Donny Moss.

Our cocktail hour begins at six o’clock followed by our program and dinner at half past seven. In honor of the animals, all food served at the event will be vegan. We ask that you and your guests’ outfits be fur-free.

NYLHV’s Gala 2009 is made possible with the generous support of Wendy and John Neu, Dodge Landesman, Mary & Peter Max, Cynthia King Dance Studio and Sublime Restaurant. We are all enormously grateful to them for their support.

NYLHV’S GALA 2009 IS SOLD OUT! To be placed on a waiting list for tickets, please e-mail us. There’s still time to sponsor the event - so please do! Thanks!

FOR OUR GALA 2009 GUESTS, PLEASE NOTE: After purchasing your Gala tickets, you were added to a special guest list, which will allow you to check-in at the door on the night of the event. You will not receive a paper ticket. Please also note that all tickets are non-refundable.

This Tuesday, if you’re an animal lover & Democrat, please vote for Bill de Blasio for Public Advocate and David Yassky for Comptroller!

A record low 10% of NYC’s 3.1 million Democrats came out to vote for Mayor on Tuesday, September 15. Only 347,000 people voted for Public Advocate, while 354,000 people voted for Comptroller. The turnout for this Tuesday’s runoff election is expected to be even lower — perhaps as few as 5% of Democrats will vote!

The New York League of Humane Voters (NYLHV), the State’s largest and most influential lobby for animal welfare, has endorsed Bill de Blasio for Public Advocate and David Yassky for Comptroller.

All four candidates running in the runoff sought NYLHV’s endorsement and we had nearly all of the candidates in the primary talking about animals — for the first time ever. Yassky and de Blasio made the cut based on their strong records on animal welfare and their pledge to do even more as the #2 and #3 elected officials in NYC.

NYLHV is working hard to make animal protection part of the mainstream. We’ve made animals a big part of this year’s elections for Mayor, Public Advocate, Comptroller, City Council and Manhattan District Attorney. With so many saying the runoff this Tuesday is too close to call, animal lovers have a real opportunity to emerge as a swing vote in NYC. Will we rise to the challenge?

The animals have no voice in government. Animals in shelters can’t vote. Carriage horses can’t vote. Elephants in the circus can’t vote. The animals need us to be their voice, to give them our vote. The political world is watching us. Will we win on Tuesday? It’s up to you.

Can the animals count on your vote this Tuesday, 9/29?

NYLHV, thanks to an enormous outpouring of support from literally thousands of folks like you, was able to score big victories for animals. Not only did we get our citywide ticket of Bill de Blasio and David Yassky into the run-off on September 29, we knocked out 3 incumbents with abysmal records on animal welfare. Although we didn’t win every race, there’s no doubt that we’re making animal protection part of the mainstream in NYC. Thanks for all you’ve done to make that possible. Special thanks to candidates like Yetta Kurland for making animal protection issues such a central part of their campaigns. That’s one reason why Christine Quinn was so narrowly re-elected with barely 53% of the vote.

Take a look at the quick re-cap below.

NYLHV volunteers hit the streets of Kingsbridge in the Bronx again yesterday for our endorsed candidate Fernando Cabrera, who has pledged to support all of NYLHV’s legislation. In the end, Cabrera defeated incumbent Council Member Maria Baez, who has routinely scored a zero on our Humane Scorecard, by only 69 votes! This is a major win for animals and for the district. Congratulations, Fernando!

In Queens, Daniel Dromm, a friend of animals and long-time supporter of NYLHV, defeated incumbent Council Member Helen Sears, another frequent loser on our Humane Scorecard. NYLHV was an early supporter of Dromm’s, giving him his second endorsement for City Council. We couldn’t be happier about his election. Dromm’s compassion and leadership skills will be an incredible asset to the City Council. Congratulations, Danny!

On Staten Island, NYLHV-endorsed candidate Debi Rose pulled off a major upset and defeated incumbent Council Member Kenneth Mitchell, whose strong ties to the carriage horse industry and Ringling Bros. Circus made Mitchell refuse to meet with NYLHV or seek our endorsement. Rose supports our efforts and we’re so excited that she’s finally headed to City Hall. Congratulations, Debi!

In one open seat in Queens, NYLHV-endorsed candidate Jimmy Van Bramer defeated establishment candidate Deirdre Feerick. Feerick shamelessly raised money from the carriage horse industry, which is based largely in Vam Bramer’s district. Van Bramer, meanwhile, stood up to the industry and said forcefully that the horses do not belong on city streets. Van Bramer’s election should be a powerful lesson to politicos: animal lovers far outnumber animal abusers. Take that to heart and you’ll get elected! Congratulations Jimmy, we’re looking forward to working with you.

We need your help to continue our winning streak in the run-off on September 29. Will you donate $25, $35, $100 or even $10 today and help us make sure that animals have a voice in the political process? Thanks for your support!

The New York League of Humane Voters (NYLHV) is the State’s largest and most influential lobby for animal welfare. We work to pass animal protection laws, elect humane candidates to office, educate the public on matters of public policy, and hold politicians accountable to their constituents.

For the last several months, NYLHV has spent countless hours interviewing and surveying hundreds of candidates to find out their positions on animal protection issues. In May, we held NYC’s first-ever forum on animal welfare issues for citywide and district attorney candidates. Now it’s up to you. Pets in shelters can’t vote. The carriage horses can’t vote. The elephants beaten in the circus can’t vote. Only you can. Can the animals have your vote on September 15?

For a full list of NYLHV’s endorsements, please click here. To get NYLHV’s Humane Voter Guide in the mail for free, pledge your vote for the animals!

The New York League of Humane Voters (NYLHV), the State’s largest and most influential lobby for animal welfare, announced today that it has endorsed Bill de Blasio for New York City Public Advocate. The current Public Advocate, Betsy Gotbaum, is retiring.

“NYLHV is proud to endorse Bill de Blasio for NYC Public Advocate. As a member of the City Council, Bill has been a friend and ally on numerous animal protection issues. He’s a very smart guy that listens, a hard worker, and he’ll be a terrific advocate for animals and people alike,” said John Phillips, NYLHV’s executive director.

In announcing the endorsement, NYLHV cited de Blasio’s support for the following bills: Intro 13, the pets in housing bill; Intro 389, the bill to ban the use of elephants in the circus; Reso. 2049, NYC’s Foodprint Project, which encourages more plant-based & local eating; and Intro 545, to restrict prolonged tethering of dogs. de Blasio also supports a pilot program for the NYLHV & NY-CLASS eco-tourism proposal, to see how a fleet of green replica antique cars in Central Park could help horses and generate the jobs and tourist activity that is currently supported by the horse-drawn carriage industry.

Upon learning of the endorsement, de Blasio had this to say:
“I am very touched and proud to have the endorsement of the New York League of Humane Voters. NYLHV members are out there every day doing effective, much-needed work to protect animals, and I look forward to continuing to work together on these important issues.”

For more information, please visit www.billdeblasio.com.

The New York League of Humane Voters (NYLHV), the State’s largest and most influential lobby for animal welfare, announced today that it has endorsed David Yassky for New York City Comptroller. The current Comptroller, Bill Thompson, is running to be the next Mayor of New York City.

“If you care about animals, vote for David Yassky for New York City Comptroller on September 15. As a member of the New York City Council, David has supported numerous bills to protect animal welfare. Notably, he is the only one of the Comptroller candidates who supports a ban on horse-drawn carriages, whereas two of his opponents support the carriage horse industry. David is a thoughtful legislator and he will make an excellent Comptroller,” said John Phillips, NYLHV’s executive director.

In announcing the endorsement, NYLHV cited Yassky’s support for the following bills: Intro 658, which would ban horse-drawn carriages in NYC; Intro 389, the bill to ban the use of elephants and other wild animals in the circus; and Intro 13, the pets in housing bill. In fact, Phillips says Yassky is “the only Comptroller candidate who is 100% supportive of NYLHV’s legislative agenda.”

“Throughout my years on the City Council, NYLHV has been a powerful partner for an ambitious progressive agenda,” said Council Member Yassky. “As Comptroller, I will continue to work with the animal rights community in pursuit of accountability, innovation, and results in city government. I am honored to have the support of NYLHV.”

For more information, please visit www.davidyassky.com.

The New York League of Humane Voters held a press conference on Staten Island Monday afternoon calling on the City Council to pass Intro 389, a bill which would ban the use of wild animals in the circus. Thanks to the efforts of NYLHV, the bill now has the support of a majority of the New York City Council Members, including Staten Island Council Member Vincent Ignizio. In other words, we have the support we need to pass the bill out of the Council! We just need there to be a vote. (Take action!)

Dozens of Staten Island humane voters attended the press conference, timed to coincide with the arrival of Cole Bros. Circus. Speakers included NYLHV executive director John Phillips, NYLHV board member/veterinarian John Hynes and Staten Island Borough President candidate John Luisi.

For more information on Intro 389, check out our 2009 City Council Humane Scorecard.

The New York League of Humane Voters (www.nylhv.org), the State’s largest and most influential lobby for animal welfare, announced today that it has endorsed Judge Leslie Crocker Snyder for Manhattan District Attorney. The organization has thousands of members in Manhattan and has pledged to do everything in its power to ensure Judge Snyder’s election.

“NYLHV proudly and enthusiastically endorses Judge Leslie Crocker Snyder for Manhattan District Attorney,” said John Phillips, NYLHV’s executive director. Phillips, who lives in Manhattan’s East Village, added: “Leslie’s spent her entire career fighting for the underdog, working to protect women and children and her record and experience in New York’s criminal justice system are second to none. Her sensitivity towards animals is no surprise. Whether it’s her support for humane education or training prosecutors to deal with animal cruelty, Leslie understands animal protection. The DA can have a major impact on animal welfare and we’re confident Judge Snyder will be a champion for our cause.”

In accepting the endorsement, Judge Snyder said, “I’m incredibly grateful to have the support of NYLHV. As District Attorney I will proudly stand up for animal welfare and ensure that crimes against animals are treated with seriousness and compassion. My office will have a specific liaison to the animal welfare community and make certain that the public understands animal cruelty is unacceptable.”