Mayor Bill de Blasio’s latest pick to take over the city’s Taxi and Limousine Commission sailed through her first City Council hearing on Monday — a stark contrast to the response for Hizzoner’s previous pick for the job, who tanked in front of lawmakers last year.
The love-fest saw Aloysee Heredia Jarmoszuk, who currently serves as chief of staff for Deputy Mayor Laura Anglin, flatter Council members for their “comprehensive and insightful report” that proposed surge pricing for taxis and a bailout for drivers — while the pols lavished praise on her in return.
“This report could not have come at a more critical moment,” said Aloysee Heredia Jarmoszuk in her opening testimony to the Committee on Rules, Privileges and Elections
“I hope to have the opportunity to work with the Council on these recommendations so that we not only solve the current crisis our drivers are facing, but also prevent a situation like this from ever happening again.”
Heredia Jarmoszuk also praised Councilman Donovan Richards for pushing for a TLC Office of Inclusion, expressed openness to Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez’s proposal for a black car and livery task force — and committed to taking up other members’ concerns about drivers denying trips to black New Yorkers.
Many of the city’s taxi and for-hire vehicle drivers have faced massive debts and declining profits with the growth of e-hail companies like Uber and Lyft — creating a crisis that drove at least nine drivers to suicide.
A Council-convened panel last week made a series of recommendations to help turn things around for embattled hacks, including the Uber-like surge-pricing and a $600 million bailout for debt-ridden drivers.
“My goal is to work with the council and drivers to try to find a solution to reduce driver monthly payments to less than $1,000 a month, and I believe the city will need to play a role in this effort,” Heredia Jarmoszuk told the hearing.
Elected officials responded in turn with praise for the longtime de Blasio administration staffer — a big change from their response to previous candidate Jeff Roth, whose failed July confirmation hearing Speaker Corey Johnson lambasted as “awful.”
“I think you’d be a fantastic chair to this commission, and I look forward to voting on your nomination,” gushed Brooklyn Councilman Stephen Levin, who led the panel that put forward last week’s recommendations.
Councilman Brad Lander, who is also close with driver advocates, went so far as to thank Heredia Jarmoszk for her “willingness to step forward” for the role.
The committee will reconvene on Feb. 11 to vote on Heredia Jaromszk’s appointment. If she gets the go-head, she’ll face a full council vote later that day.
The TLC has been without a council-approved chair since Meera Joshi quit 11 months ago.




