Ex-Mayor David Dinkins, Frequent Tram
Rider, “Disturbed by Calls for Abandoning
the Tram, Appeals For Its Survival

Accompanied by Islander Joyce Mincheff, former Mayor David Dinkins appeared before the City Council Transportation Committee last week to make the case for the future of the Tramway.

"I was particularly concerned when the suggestion of some [hint: He’s referring to the current mayor] was that perhaps we didn’t need a Tram anymore. Well, you’ve got about 9,000 residents on the Island; they hope to have ultimately about 16,000, and among those residents there are children, and I’m told that about half of the student population goes to school off the Island, most of them in Manhattan."

Dinkins went on to talk about the Tram’s value for tourism: "There are lots of folks – I see them coming every day – bunches of them – and those tourists help to support some of the industry that otherwise would not be on that Island..." When The Times quoted Dinkins, it inspired the reaction below from a new Island resident.