(The Center Square) – New York City Mayor Eric Adams has vetoed a bill that sought to decriminalize illegal street vendors that have proliferated in the Big Apple amid a surge of migrants.
The legislation, approved in June by the Democratic-majority City Council, would have eliminated criminal penalties for unlicensed street vendors, which can include a fine of up to $1,000 and three months of jail time.
Adams, a Democrat and former New York Police Department captain, said allowing unlicensed vendors to peddle their wares along the city’s streets would impact quality of life in neighborhoods and make it more difficult for police to do their job. He vetoed the bill late Thursday.
“Our law enforcement officers play a vital role in keeping our streets clear of unlicensed vendors and protecting small business owners who follow the rules from being undercut by those who don’t,” Adams said in his veto message. “We cannot be so idealistic that we’re not realistic – preventing the brave men and women of the NYPD from intervening, even in the most egregious cases, is unfair to law-abiding business owners and poses real public health and safety risks.”
But the veto drew a rebuke from many City Council members – who pointed out that the Adams administration had helped craft the original bill – and rekindled criticism of Adams’ support for President Donald Trump’s immigration policies.
“In the dead of night, Mayor Adams did Donald Trump’s bidding by vetoing my legislation that protects our immigrant small business owners, who are simply trying to provide for their families, from jail time and immigration consequences,” Queens City Councilman Shekar Krishnan, the bill’s primary sponsor, said in a statement.
“Rather than ushering in real change for our street vendors – moving toward a fair, comprehensive, and well-regulated system – Mayor Adams is playing politics with the lives of our city’s smallest business owners,” he said.
The fight over solitary confinement was part of a larger intra-party rift between Adams and the council that has played out in news headlines and lawsuits over the past year. The two sides have also feuded over the mayor’s vetoes of a police stop bill and plans to expand the council’s authority over confirming nominees to fill city departments and commissions.
Earlier this week, Adams vetoed a bill approved by the City Council that sought to block a multi-million dollar Bally’s casino project in the Bronx neighborhood, citing the need for jobs and investment.
