By:Scott Brinton
The council plans to convene a public hearing on Tuesday, March 23, at 7 p.m., to weigh the matter. The move follows a series of Herald stories and an editorial exposing the potential dangers of temporary taxi licenses.
A Merrick taxi driver, Christopher Willard, of West Hempstead, was recently arrested and charged with raping a young woman while on the job in Bellmore, according to Nassau County police. A Herald investigation revealed that Willard had been arrested for drug possession and was on probation for driving under the influence of drugs. And he did not hold a valid Town of Hempstead taxi license at the time of the alleged rape.
Town officials said Willard was issued a temporary license, but he let it expire and ignored calls to come in and discuss his application for a permanent license. He continued driving for four months before he was arrested for rape.
Currently, temporary licenses allow cabbies to drive for a month while the town sends their fingerprints to the New York State Division of Criminal Justice in Albany, which performs criminal background checks.
Bonilla (R-Seaford) said the Town Council wants to amend Hempstead code to require criminal background checks before cabbies are issued licenses.
The clerk, who is also an attorney in private practice in Garden City, said, "I'm looking into anything, any change that the town clerk's office can make that would ultimately protect the community."
Bonilla, who was appointed Hempstead clerk last March and elected to the post in November, said the town is considering other measures to stiffen taxi licensing requirements. "We're looking into the entire code. We may, at later times, do other things, require other things of the taxi drivers," the clerk said. He declined to say what other measures the town might be weighing.
Bonilla said he expects cab company owners to turn out for the March 23 public hearing and oppose eliminating temporary licenses.
Taxi company owners often argue that temporary licenses are needed to help staff their fleets. Turnover among cab drivers is high, particularly in the suburbs. If drivers must wait to complete a long application process before starting to drive, the cab companies might wind up short-staffed, the owners say.
Bonilla said he hopes people turn out to support eliminating temporary licenses. "This is something that should be passed," he said. "I'd like to hope we have more people voicing their opinions for the elimination."
After the March 23 hearing, Bonilla said the Town Council will likely reserve its decision on whether to eliminate temporary licenses, giving it time to mull all sides of the issue and consider any letters the town might receive on the matter.
subhed: County moving ahead with TLC
Meanwhile, Nassau County is moving ahead with plans for a Taxi and Limousine Commission. The county TLC will require that all taxi drivers register with it and the county Office of Consumer Affairs. Cabbies, however, will still be required to get taxi licenses from the local municipality -- city, town or village -- in which they drive. County officials expect the TLC to be up and running within months.
Roger Bogsted, the county consumer affairs commissioner, said the TLC will comprise 12 unpaid volunteers from the county, the taxi and limousine industry, and local municipalities.
Inspectors from the Office of Consumer Affairs or county police officers will seek out unlicensed cabbies operating anywhere in the county and issue tickets to potential violators, requiring them to appear before the TLC for a hearing.
The commission will hold authority to fine violators. Bogsted, who is chairman of the Nassau County Conservative Party, said penalties will be harsh -- $750 to $1,500 for the first offense and $1,500 to $5,000 thereafter. Operating a cab without a taxi license is considered a Class A misdemeanor.
Bogsted said that many legitimate cab companies support creation of the TLC, because it will reduce competition from unlicensed taxi drivers.
Steven Hansen, assistant to Bogsted, said many such drivers operate illegally out of their own homes and advertise in local circulars for cheap rides. "They have a big, late-model sedan, and they run people to the airport," said Hansen. He estimates there are "a couple of thousand" such drivers in Nassau.
Bogsted noted that the county doesn't intend to take away taxi licensing rights from local municipalities. "The towns still have the right to make the determination how many cabs should operate in their jurisdiction," the consumer affairs commissioner said. "State law gives them that authority. We would have to change the state law to give [the county] full authority" to issue taxi licenses.
He also said, "We're adding a layer of protection that is not currently provided at the town and village level. ... We will remove the illegal operators, those who would normally not get a license and have no business picking up people and dropping them off anywhere."
Bogsted said he expects the TLC will require its own criminal background checks for cabbies, which the Nassau County Police Department will perform.
Despite new costs to the county, such as inspectors' salaries, Bogsted said he believes the new TLC won't result in an increase in taxes. Legitimate cab companies have already agreed to pay for printing informational fliers about the new program. And the heavy fines illegal taxi companies will be forced to pay will more than balance out extra spending, he said.
Some lawmakers want to see taxi licensing belong solely to Nassau County. County Legislator David Denenberg (D-Merrick) said the new TLC should be given that authority, noting that the New York City TLC has complete licensing rights for all five boroughs.
Although the two-layered system -- taxi licensing by local municipalities, registration by the county -- will add a layer of government bureaucracy, Denenberg supports it for now. He sees it as a necessary step toward eventually having the county assume complete control of taxi licensing.
