The city’s Taxi & Limousine commissioner, whose agency picks which car models can be yellow cabs, appeared in a Ford Motor Co. commercial this month, the Daily News has learned.
Commissioner Matthew Daus shows up in the 90-second ad aired on Ford’s Internet site touting the benefits of Ford’s hybrid vehicles. New York is pushing to make all taxis fuel-efficient hybrids by 2012.
In the commercial, Daus, sitting behind his desk at the TLC’s Manhattan office, says, “Whenever we put new cabs on the street, we want to make sure the environment is not adversely affected.”
Moments later, a New York City taxi fleet owner says: “Ford is the only option. They understand the value [of hybrids] to the industry.”
Daus told The News he didn’t know his statements would be used in a commercial. He said he thought he’d been interviewed for a “documentary” about Ford, though he acknowledged he knew the car company financed the “documentary.”
Ford pulled Daus from the ad last week after The News asked about the matter. A company spokesman apologized for the “mistake.”
Documents indicate Daus was aware of potential conflict of interest problems with his appearance in a commercial for a car company.
For example, he refused to sign a release letting Ford use the material in commercials specifically because it would create the appearance that he favored one car brand, TLC spokesman Allan Fromberg said.
“That was absolutely unacceptable to the commissioner, because he did not want to give the appearance of favoring one company over another,” Fromberg said.
City employees are prohibited from engaging in any private sector activity that is “in conflict with the proper discharge” of their duties.
Daus says he was approached in May 2006 by Radical Media, a production company hired by Ford to direct what it called an objective documentary taking an honest look at the giant automaker.
At the time, only a handful of hybrid taxis – all Fords – cruised New York City streets, although the TLC had approved nine models as hybrid taxis, including the Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner.
Today, there are more than 560 hybrid taxis operating in New York; 80% are Fords.
The Ford documentary turned out to be multiple three- to five-minute segments touting various aspects of Ford’s effort to survive changes in car-making competition.
One segment focused on hybrid cars and zeroed in on New York’s efforts to encourage the use of hybrid taxis. Daus said he agreed to be interviewed only about the benefits of a hybrid, not about which brand is best, Fromberg said.
In June 2006, Radical Media asked Daus to sign a release allowing Ford to use his interview in any manner it saw fit, including in commercials. He refused, telling the company it could put him “in an uncomfortable position.”
Ford rewrote the release letter, agreeing to get Daus’ written permission before using the material for anything other than the documentary.
In August 2006, before Daus signed the release, the documentary showed up on Ford’s Web site. Early this month, edited segments taken from the Ford documentary appeared in a 90-second ad on Ford’s Internet site.
Last Wednesday, Fromberg told The News that Daus “was downright outraged at learning that they had recut the segment for commercial purposes, again without benefit of a legal release.”
After being told of Daus’ concerns, Ford spokesman Jim Cain apologized to Daus and immediately had Daus edited out of the commercial.
“This was quite clearly our fault,” Cain said. “It’s unfortunate but unintentional.”
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2007/11/11/2007-11-11_taxi_commissioner_didnt_know_i_was_in_fo.html
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Jose Bataller 01.18.10 at 10:42 pm
When is the last time that You saw Commissioner Daus visiting a taxi garage and talk to the drivers? the only places He goes to meet drivers is at JFK waiting lot that all drivers who wait overthere up to 3 hours to get a fare are owners and not share the same problems that drivers who work for a garage have. He is been chairman of the TLC for 11 years and nothing positive for a regular driver has been acomlished. Recently, He did not even open his big mouth to denounce the abusive 50 cents MTA tax on us. He put us a tv that no taxi driver should accepted, the 5% credit card robery. the banning of using the phone even to be used in emergencies…and so, and so and so…nothing to be proud of thus chairman that should be packing and leaving office if He had a minimum of decency.