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WE'VE BEEN SHAFTED |
| Taxicab news and issues page A few people have suggested that the city's continuing and bumbling attempts to regulate/deregulate the taxicab industry deserve some comment. Cacaphony staff people have decided to dedicate some room to this. So far, very few people have felt free to send taxi industry news or your comments regarding taxicab issues in Saint Paul to Capitol City Cacahony's email address [linked here]. We hope that the reason is that few people have heard of the site. When we do receive news or comments, we will add them to this page as time, space, and editorial discretion permit. We reserve the right to edit for size and other appropriateness, but will identify material which has been so edited. |
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| Saint Paul Taxicab Memorial Page can be linked from here. |
Late in the afternoon of December 5, 2001, as the wind was changing a 60-something day into a 30-something day, the Saint Paul City Council fell to the hot air of the Mayor's office, LIEP, the Chamber of Commerce, the RiverCentre[sic] Authority, and others by abandoning years of a reasoned approach to taxicab management issues, voting 4 to 3 to eliminate the local taxi industry by eliminating any city controls on the number of taxicabs in the city and allowing cross-licensed cabs into our city. While it may be premature to say that local taxicab companies will all die and their drivers made destitute, it seems certain to say that the Council has decided that Saint Paul does not need taxicabs dedicated to serving the city's public. Not only does the action of December 5 allow outsiders to bring their soldier of fortune drivers in their existing cabs into Saint Paul to plunder the market, but the ensuing [and most likely severe] damage to the income potential of the drivers of the existing cabs will make it much less likely that anybody will be driving them after the soldiers of fortune have returned whence they came. We will have to wait and see to what degree this damage occurs and whether any semblance of a local taxi industry survives and to learn what efforts City-Wide, Diamond, and Yellow will make to augment or diversify their clientele in defense. The four councilmembers who voted against us are Jerry Blakey, Chris Coleman, Pat Harris, and Jim Reiter. Those of you who live in the wards these hacks represent might wish to write them polite letters expressing your disappointment at their action. But be more polite than I would feel about writing them at this time. If any of you had any thought of supporting them in future elections, I would suggest that you reconsider such a ridiculous idea. The three councilmembers who voted for local business are Jay Benanav, Kathy Lantry, and Council President Daniel Bostrom. All of us might wish to contact them and thank them for their support. Feel free to write us with any comments you may have on this or any other local taxicab matter. -- RS |
| HOW TO CONTACT YOUR CITY COUNCILPERSON City Councilmembers may be contacted: by email: ward[number]@ci.stpaul.mn.us [When sending email be sure to include your snail mail address so that the councilmember will know that you are his/her constituent.] by fax: 266-8574 [Be advised that one fax number serves all seven offices and you won't know who will be handling it when.] by snail mail : City Hall, 15 West Kellogg Boulevard, 55102 by telephone: 266-86[ward number]0. More information about the Saint Paul City Council is at www.stpaul.gov/council/. A map showing ward boundaries can be found at http://www.stpaul.gov/council/wardmap98.html. If you wish to contact us with your comments on whatever, use this email address: cccacophony@prodigy.net.. |