But people didn't vote people in because of their stance on taxis, apart from small vested interest groups. For most people this wasn't even an agenda they thought about, but because Uber exists, and they see an alternative to the rubbish taxi companies, it's coming to the spotlight.
Yes, right now that seems to be the case. Taxi systems were notoriously bad before regulation, so it's not true to say that Uber is illegal only because of a deeply entrenched monopoly.
Things were seriously rough in NYC (and elsewhere) before the government stepped in. I expect it to take some time to adapt to a things like Uber/Lyft, and Uber's attitude towards that reality is disappointing.
Then again, it is basically the word of Silicon Valley gods to be as blatantly disrespectful of reality as possible.
