By Nina Mandell
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN — A plan to add variety to street fairs criticised for lining up stands selling the same fried food and T-shirts is being pushed by a city councilman.
Dan Garodnick, who represents a large part of Manhattan's east side, is introducing a bill to require street fairs to draw 20 percent of their vendors from the local community, the New York Daily News reported.
"There should be more for residents than row after row of vendors selling the same thing," he said.
The bill would give fair organizers a break on fees if they exceed that percentage, the News said.
But organizers of Manhattan's 321 annual fairs told the News the plan would never work because local vendors just aren't interested in ponying up the cost to have booths at the fairs.
"It'll hurt the business unless they figure out a way that something can be done to get local vendors in," Mort Berkowitz, whose production company ran 22 fairs last year, told the News.
