New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg weighed in on recent statements by the Chicago and Boston Mayors Emanuel and Menino, and city officials from Philadelphia, who have expressed desires to block Chick-fil-A from opening in their city'sbecause of the company's discriminatory worldview and donations to anti-gay marriage organizations.
Bloomberg spoke with Politicker, saying he would not take a similar stance:
“They’re all friends but I disagree with them really strongly on this one,” Mr. Bloomberg said of his mayoral colleagues. “You can’t have a test for what the owners’ personal views are before you decide to give a permit to do something in the city. You really don’t want to ask political beliefs or religious beliefs before you issue a permit, that’s just not government’s job.”
Mr. Bloomberg went on to argue that blocking a business based on their political beliefs opens a potential slippery slope where liberal cities block conservative establishments and vice versa with conservative cities.
“Freedom of speech — everybody’s in favor of it as long as it’s what they want to hear,” he explained. “Well the only way that you have your freedom of speech is if you give other people freedom of speech. … This is just a bad idea and it’s not going to happen in New York City.”
There is one Chick-fil-A in NYC, on the NYU campus.
