THE city plans to water down the law strictly regulating the positioning and maintenance of street-corner news boxes following howls of protest from publishers bombarded with summonses.
The law was passed last year in a bid to get a handle on the unsightly rows of boxes cluttering street corners.
But since the law took effect on April 25, 2003, publishers have been slapped with 3,315 notices of violation.
Each carries a potential fine of $100 to $500.
“The amount of fines they’re putting out there, you’d think they have the terrorism task force working on this,” complained one publisher.
Insiders said community weeklies without the resources of the major daily newspapers are the hardest hit.
Mayor Bloomberg made it clear he views the law as burdensome during a speech before East Sixties Association, where he said publishers now owe $600,000 just for graffiti infractions.
“The fines are more than some of their budgets,” said the mayor.
City Councilwoman Eva Moskowitz (D-Manhattan), the law’s sponsor, said she understands the need to remove “a few kinks” in the legislation.
Most fines would be lowered to $50 or $100.
The amended law would also require the Department of Transportation to provide “photographic evidence” of each violation to the publishers. No one would get punished before the DOT undertook a second inspection showing the violation hadn’t been corrected.
It’s not surprising that the administration and the council are working together so well on this issue.
“Both the mayor and Gifford Miller [the City Council speaker] want the credit,” said the publisher.
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It seems City Councilman Allan Jennings can’t stay out of the news.
The Queens legislator, who’s battling sexual-harassment charges, spent more than $50,000 to open and furnish a neighborhood office in 2002.
After redistricting in 2003, Jennings suddenly found his 28th District office located within the boundaries of the nearby 24th district represented by Councilman James Gennaro.
Gennaro politely asked Jennings to move. Jennings refused.
But no one’s rushing to resolve this dispute.
“Who needs to generate more publicity for Jennings?” asked one council source.
Jennings didn’t return calls.