TWU president slams Eric Adams as “backstabber” over support for horse carriage ban

John Samuelsen, the international president of the powerful Transport Workers Union of America, had just won reelection at a convention in Las Vegas when he learned of Mayor Eric Adams’ announcement that he was supporting a ban on horse carriages in Central Park. For Samuelsen, whose union has fiercely opposed a ban, it was a betrayal.

“You committed to support us. You’re no better than Bill de Blasio, you backstabber,” Samuelsen texted the mayor, referring to his predecessor’s efforts to ban horse carriages. The mayor did not respond, according to a copy of the text exchange shared with City & State.

Samuelsen later said that he was “blindsided” by the mayor’s announcement on Wednesday that he was now in support of Ryder’s Law, a City Council bill that winds down the horse carriage industry by prohibiting the issuance of new licenses to operate horse drawn carriages starting June 1, 2026. Adams, while getting behind the bill introduced by Council Member Robert Holden, has issued an executive order directing the city to strengthen oversight of the industry and prepare for its end. 

Samuelsen, whose union represents the 170 drivers of 60 carriages currently licensed, complained that Adams, facing a long-shot reelection bid in just a few weeks, caved to  the demands of activists like NYClass who have long protested and lobbied against the horse carriage industry. The activists claim the industry is outdated, inhumane and dangerous to both people and horses – including those which have broken loose in Central Park and those that died while pulling their carriages. A 2022 poll taken after the death of Ryder, the namesake of the City Council bill, found that 71% of New Yorkers supported a ban.

Samuelsen has staunchly opposed the activists and insisted that the horses are treated humanely. He attributes the occasional deaths of carriage horses to natural causes. He has accused the activists of having ulterior political motives – suggesting that opposition to the carriage horse industry is driven by real estate interests that would like to build on the land currently occupied by Manhattan stables – and said that attempts to ban the industry will threaten the livelihood of the largely immigrant workforce of horse drivers.

Asked for comment on Samuelsen’s remarks about Adams, City Hall, when asked for comment on Samuelsen’s remarks, fired back in a statement emailed to City & State. “Mayor Adams stands with the overwhelming majority of New Yorkers who support banning horse-drawn carriages – not with these obscene and baseless claims,” the statement reads. “This misinformation being pushed doesn’t change the facts: these carriages are dangerous for everyday New Yorkers. What’s especially disappointing is that this claim ignores our commitment to supporting carriage drivers through the transition, including identifying new employment opportunities. The safety and health risks, to both the public and the horses, are well-documented and cannot be ignored. That’s why we’re moving forward with real solutions, not distractions.”

Samuelsen has pushed back on concerns that horses have created a safety issue, arguing that e-bikes present a greater danger. “There's dozens of incidents with the e-bikes a year, and there's hardly any incidents with the horses,” he said. 

Adams’ opponents in the mayoral race – including front-runner and Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani, Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is running as an independent like the mayor – have all come out in support of the ban. 

“You know, Zohran’s going to win the race. He's going to win the people, like it or not,” Samuelsen said confidently. Although the union has not endorsed the candidate. Samuelsen said he regularly communicates with Mamdani and the candidate “understands the union’s position” on the issue. Samuelsen said the union wants to bring in a panel of equine medical experts, not “politicized animal rights activists,” to certify that the animals are humanely treated and to pursue improvements for the industry, including by having a horse stable in Central Park. 

He  added that Mamdani had promised that under his administration, the union will be among stakeholders in resolving the concerns over the horse carriage industry. ”I have a great relationship with him,” he said of Mamdani, who is currently a member of the Assembly. ”For his entire time in the Assembly that I've been working with him, he's never not kept his word.”