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👩 3 *NEW* TLC Commissioners Confirmed. Who Are They?
Paul Bader, Sarah Kaufman & Kenneth Y.K. Chan are set to join the TLC Commission Board, which previously only had 5 voting Commissioners (of 9 seats). Who are they & what are their views?
The New York City Council’s Committee on Rules, Privileges, and Elections held a hearing on May 8th to question three *new* nominees for the Taxi & Limousine Commission (TLC) Board. The Committee also had to consider renominating current TLC Board Commissioner Thomas Sorrentino.
Once approved, a TLC Commissioner serves a seven year term. On May 25th, the three new nominees were officially confirmed by the NYC Council and current TLC Commissioner Sorrentino reconfirmed. Of the three nominees two, Kenneth Y.K. Chan and Sarah Kaufman, are actually being appointed to existing terms. Mr. Chan’s term expires in January 2024 and Mrs. Kaufman’s in January 2026.
To clarify, David Do is the TLC’s Chairperson, a paid position, and ALSO a TLC Commissioner. Other TLC Commissioners are NOT compensated, but hold equal voting power as the Chairperson. It’s worth noting that the Chairperson has many “discretionary” powers, which allows them to make unilateral decisions outside of the Board. However, it’s unclear if the Chairperson has the ability to officially override a Commission majority vote.
Why Is This Important?
The NYC TLC and its Board of Commissioners are:
“…responsible for licensing and regulating for-hire vehicle, commuter van and wheelchair accessible van services as it relates to the overall public transportation network of the city; to establish taxicab rates, standards of service, standards of insurance and minimum coverage; standards for driver safety; standards for equipment safety and design; and standards and criteria for the licensing of vehicles, drivers and operators engaged in such services.”
Basically, the entire NYC for-hire transportation industry from FHV License issuance (a/k/a TLC Plates) to driver pay rates to Pilot programs are voted on by TLC’s Board of Commissioners. The TLC Board is essentially an unelected (i.e., appointed and then subject to approval by elected representatives of NYC Council) lawmaking regulatory branch of the City’s government.
Hopefully, the importance of understanding the background & viewpoints of those on TLC’s Board is obvious (if it wasn’t before). The May 8th hearing provided a very unique opportunity to hear extensively from 4 (now current) TLC Board Commissioners.
All industry participants, from drivers to fleet owners to bases should know who the TLC Commissioners are. It is important.
Who Sits On The TLC Commission Board?
Although there should have been nine active TLC Board Commissioners, including the Chairperson, before the recent confirmations there were only 5 voting Commissioners. To quote NYC Council speaker Adrienne E. Adams, the TLC’s voting body was “practically nonfunctional” ahead of the May 8th hearing (which actually begs the question on how the TLC Board was allowed to vote on anything 🤔).
Based on the last TLC Commission meeting in early May, which also happened to be fairly animated 👇, the Board’s voting members included:
David Do, Chairperson
Jacques Jiha (Ph.D.), Director of the Mayor’s Office of Management & Budget that oversees NYC’s fiscal policy
Kenneth Mitchell, Executive Director of the Staten Island Zoological Society & former NYC Council member (D)
Thomas Sorrentino, Partner at accounting firm PKF O’Connor Davies LLP
Elisa Velazquez, Deputy Chief Financial Officer & Deputy Commissioner for the NYC Department of Environmental Protection (“DEP”)
Elisa Velazquez was nominated by Mayor Eric Adams in August 2022 along with Anokye Blissett. While Ms. Velazquez joined the TLC Board after approval from the NYC Council, it does not appear Anokye Blissett pursued the nomination. In addition, although Bill Aguado is listed as a Commissioner on TLC’s website, he recently stepped down.
New Commissioners
The three *NEW* TLC Board Commissioners are:
Paul Bader, NYC taxi driver from 1970 to 1980, founder of City Imprint & New York Prints (printing companies), experience in City government (e.g., Comptroller’s Office)
Kenneth Y.K. Chan, intellectual property lawyer, technology executive and real estate-focused entrepreneur. Previous experience at United Technologies, Avaya and Corning
Sarah Kaufman, transportation & urban planning academic at Rudin Center for Transportation (NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service). board member of Transportation Alternatives
Thomas Sorrentino was also present at the hearing and was being renominated to TLC’s Board of Commissioners.
Below we share some highlights from the 2 hour May 8th hearing conducted by New York City Council’s Committee on Rules, Privileges, and Elections. To access the full recording click here.
Opening Statements
Opening statements by all TLC Board members up for nomination, including current TLC Commissioner Thomas Sorrentino. All Commissioners who were nominated, were approved by NYC Council on May 25th.
Experience As A Driver in 1970s (Paul Bader)
NYC Council speaker Adrienne E. Adams asks, now newly appointed TLC Board Member, Paul Bader about his time driving in the NYC taxi industry during the 1970s.
What Are The Most Important Issues Facing TLC Industry?
NYC Council Member Keith Powers asks what the TLC Board nominees think the most important issues facing the NYC for-hire transportation industry are.
Should EVs Be Exempt from TLC Plate Cap? (Sarah Kaufman)
NYC Council Member Keith Powers asks, now newly appointed TLC Board Member, Sarah Kaufman whether electric vehicles (EVs) should be exempt from the FHV License Pause (a/k/a TLC Plate Cap).
Thoughts On Congestion Pricing
NYC Council Member Selvena Brooks-Power asks (now current) TLC Board Members their opinions about the impact of congestion pricing on the City’s for-hire transportation sector.
Electrifying TLC Fleet
NYC Council Member Selvena Brooks-Power asks (now current) TLC Board Members about their thoughts on transitioning the City’s for-hire fleet (a/k/a TLC fleet) to 100% electric vehicles (EVs) by 2030.
Protecting Driver Pay & TLC Plate Black Market
NYC Council Member Pierina Ana Sanchez asks (now current) TLC Board Members to share their thoughts about protecting driver pay and reports that a TLC Plate “Black Market” is arising and actions the regulator could take.
Protecting Yellow Cabs
NYC Council Member Gale Brewer asks about the state of the yellow (& green) cab industry and what is and can be done to protect the medallion industry.
As always, let us know your thoughts in the comments section below or by emailing us at info@automarketplace.com.
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