Tony Avella-Master of Lies

So, about a month ago, we found out that the coalition to ban horse drawn carriages was having a fund raiser. Well, they decided to have it at an Irish pub. This was an obvious attempt to try and show us that even the Irish are against us....which we all know isn't true. I decided to send an email to the manager stating how disheartened we were to hear of this.

This is my email:

After many years of patronage to your establishment, my family and fellow colleagues and I have just received word that you are holding a fundraiser for the coalition to ban horse carriages. This is extremely upsetting news. These people know little to nothing about our business and have consistently lied and slandered our good name. They are raising money to put my family on the street. There are hundreds of other Irish families just like me who are being effected by their ignorance as well. As the owner of an Irish pub, you should be more careful about helping people put other Irish working families into the street. I know many of the Irish carriage drivers have been frequenting your bar for years, and this is some of the most disheartening news we have come across in a long while. I'm sure none of us will ever come again.
(signed)

A few days later I received an email back:

Dear (name blocked out),
my co-workers and I wish to extend our sincerest apologies to you and your fellow colleagues. I originally agreed to host the "Benefit" erroneously believing that it was to raise money in order to provide better facilities for horses. Over the years we have held numerous such events to aid local "not for profit groups". But we would never endorse any group seeking to promote their own political agenda. Particularly those seeking to compromise the livelihood of others. We are very much aware that the majority of the the carriage drivers are Irish. As such, we would never intentionally act in a manner that would, most certainly, ostracize ourselves from our own community. This has been a serious oversight on my behalf. I have contacted the group to inform them that O'Flaherty's will not be hosting the event.
sincerely,Tadhg Healy
General ManagerO'Flaherty's Alehouse

So, I thought it was over. But, a few days later this crazy press release went out:

Press advisory from Council Member Tony Avella's office
FW: 9.18.08 Press Advisory: Council Member Tony Avella will hold a press conference with the Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages to denounce threats made against O'Flaherty's Ale House for allowing a fund-raising event for the coalition on October 14th.
Press Advisory
WHAT: Council Member Tony Avella will hold a press conference with the Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages to denounce threats made against O'Flaherty's Ale House for allowing a fund-raising event for the coalition on October 14th. Unfortunately, the threats prompted the restaurant to pull out of catering the event for fear of employees' safety. Needless to say, the coalition is now faced with the daunting task of trying to find another location to host the event in such short notice.WHEN: Friday, September 19th, 2008 at 12:00 PMWHERE: In front of O'Flaherty's Ale House located at 334 W. 46th Street, between 8th & 9th Avenues, in Manhattan.
WHO: Council Member Tony AvellaCoalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages
Press, Radio, TV & Photo Coverage RequestedFor more information please contact: Tony Avella at 718-747-2137 or 917-723-3289

I thought OMG! What are they talking about? I have the emails to prove this isn't true! But he had his little press conference. Not much press showed up. Even the press in the city is sick of Tony avella, and we all know what the city council thinks of him! HA!

A little background: Tony avella is a Queens democratic councilperson in the NYC council. He has teamed up with the animal rights in the city to try to get more press for his mayoral run in 2009. Hes basically a joke. In December of 2007 he introduced a bill in the city council to BAN horse carriages! How someone can try and put decent hardworking individuals out of business is beyond me, but hey! Hes Tony avella...nothing about this guy or what he does shocks me anymore. Hes a confirmed liar, and a total sleaze. If he thinks that hooking up with a bunch of know-nothing NYC animal rights freaks is going to get him into the mayors office he is sorely mistaken.

Anyway, at his "press conference" he said we were "bullies and thugs" He also made references that painted us as animal abusers. If that wasn't enough, he was trying to use this as a push for his bill. We all knew what he was saying was not true. The manager even spoke to our PR lady and told us he didn't know why they were doing this. The only thing we could think was that Avella and his friend Elizabeth Forel (the pres. of the coalition to ban horse drawn carriages) were so upset over this guy cancelling they decided to make a press op out of it. This is what happened next:


The Irish Voice
Anti Horse Carriage Fundraiser Canceled September 25, 2008
By April Drew

NEW York City Councilmember Tony Avella, who is running for mayor in 2009, told reporters that the horse drawn carriage industry had threatened an Irish bar when they discovered that an event to raise funds for the Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages was to take place there on October 14.Avella made his charges at a press conference held outside O'Flaherty's Ale House on 46th Street in Manhattan on Friday, September 19. He bashed the horse drawn carriage industry, blaming them for the cancellation of a fundraiser for the Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages at the bar in October. Avella, who has proposed a bill to shut down the carriages in New York, said he wants to put an end of the "inhumane treatment and risk of serious injury or death" to both horses and people.Tadhg Healy, manager at O'Flaherty's, told the Irish Voice on Tuesday that the bar received a worrying call from an elderly woman saying she was upset about the fundraiser being held at the bar saying, "There might be a riot outside the place." However, Healy added there was nothing set in stone regarding the fundraiser and he didn't feel the call was threatening."It might have been more like some friendly advice," said Healy.Upon discovering that the event was in fact to raise funds for the Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages, Healy said he cancelled the fundraiser."When they booked it at the beginning I thought it was a fundraiser in the traditional sense. I was kind of blindsided," he said, adding if he had initially know who the organization were when booking the event, he wouldn't have taken the booking. "Some of (the horse drawn carriage drivers) are just from down the road from where I grew up and the majority of them are of Irish descent," he said.Upset that he has been misquoted by the media and the Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages, Healy said when he called up the woman who booked the event to tell her it was cancelled she said to him, "I don't blame you. I don't want my windows broken either.' "Those were her words and I got misquoted on it," said Healy.Carolyn Daly, spokesperson for the horse drawn carriage industry, said it's the people from the Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages that are "harassing, intimidating and stalking" the carriage drivers, and not the carriage drivers threatening the bar."The animal activists have unacceptable behavior," she said.Ian McKeever, horse owner and carriage driver said he was very upset that Avello brandished them "despicable thugs."Said McKeever, "We are just working class families trying to raise our families and have a job. There is no foundation for this."McKeever feels articles written by the Irish Voice and the Irish Echo in times past relating to the horse drawn carriage industry being primarily Irish was the reason they chose an Irish bar for the setting of their fundraiser."They were using the bar as if to say that even the Irish are against the Irish. They were just going after the Irish angle," said McKeever,
inviting people to come and see for themselves how well the horses are treated by the horse and carriage drivers.Fiona Walsh, comedian and volunteer with the Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages, said she was upset to hear about the fundraiser being cancelled."I understand that this is a contentious issue. It's gotten very heated on both sides of the divide. Obviously no one wants to feel they are being put under threat for simply raising funds to print posters and badges, and that was all it was about. It's a little upsetting but hopefully we will find another venue," said Walsh, who was organizing the entertainment side of the event in October.She added it was her understanding that there was no motivation behind choosing an Irish bar as the venue for the fundraiser. Walsh said long before she was ever associated with the Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages she felt it was inhumane to have carriage horses in New York City."I've no doubt that some of them (horse owners) do treat the horses well but as it stands having horses in city traffic doesn't seem right to me."

So, there you have it. We didnt intimidate or threaten anyone! And for Tony avella to say we did is not only an outright lie, but slander. He has brandished us "bullies and despicable thugs". Why should we be consistently bashed and made out to be bullies, thugs, animal abusers, etc? It is simply not true.

Heres the link...
http://irishcentralbusiness.com/IrishVoice/Article.asp?ID=743