Mayor Says He Will Veto Bill Eliminating "Pay To Pray"
July 30, 2005
NY1
The City Council may have voted to do away with metered parking on Sundays – but parishioners will still have to pay to pray this weekend.
Council members cast their ballots Wednesday in favor of a bill to stop what they see as a tax on worship.
But Mayor Michael Bloomberg says not so fast – he's threatening to veto the bill if he can.
Critics of Sunday parking fees call it "pay to pray" because parishioners often have to leave church to feed the meter.
"This is a common-sense measure to give relief to New Yorkers who deserve it," said Council Speaker Gifford Miller. "We can afford this small luxury for our citizens."
But Bloomberg says the measure would actually make it more difficult for churchgoers to park.
"From the stores' point of view and from the churches' point of view, what's going to happen is that people will park their cars Saturday night and leave them there all day," Bloomberg said Saturday on his weekly radio show. "So the number of spaces they have (available) will go down dramatically. And they're starting to scream already."
Council members say they have enough votes to override a Bloomberg veto.
 |
|
|
