Erik Dilan

Congestion pricing just passed the City Council Committee on State and Federal Legislation, 6-4. Members who voted in favor included Maria Baez, Melissa Viverito, Larry Seabrook, Joel Rivera, Mike McMahon and Hiram Monserrate. Those opposed included Lew Fidler, Joe Addabbo and Erik Dilan.

It goes to the full council tonight.

On March 8, The New York Times published a survey of where some of the City Council's 51 members stood on congestion pricing. At the time, 20 were against, 12 were for, and 19 were either undecided or did not respond to the survey.  read more »

More evidence (if any were needed) of continuing uncertainty among Democrats about Eliot Spitzer's plan to allow three tiers of driver's licenses: two, for citizens, which will meet federal standards for identification, and a third, for documented and undocumented residents, that won't. 

Inez Dickens, a Democrat from Manhattan and Majority Whip in the City Council, told me yesterday that she's still undecided about Spitzer’s plan.

“If we don’t allow licenses to be given, are we [going to] impact on the ability of all people to earn a living?” she told me.

"I haven’t formulated and decided for sure whether I support it or I don’t, the governor’s proposal, in the format that it is in. I am concerned, rather, about not giving the licenses. But on the other hand, there’s been some real issues and concerns raised by others about giving the license to everyone, and that means undocumented, because documented can indeed get a license."

Erik Dilan of Brooklyn, who has raised money for a possible legislative race, said he hasn’t taken a position on the issue yet.

“There is no clear consensus in my district,” he said.

The trading of committee seats and leadership posts in the City Council is already pitting the people who make the Speaker -- the county leaders -- against some of the new Speaker's longtime allies.

Michael McKee, who runs the tenant group Tenants & Neighbors, just called up to denounce the notion -- floated, but not yet finalized -- that Erik Martin Dilan would chair the Housing Committee.  read more »

"If I could think of one council member who was in the hip pocket of the real estate industry it's Erik Dilan," he said. "The tenant commuty would be extremely unhappy if this happens."