Street smarting?

Apparently the idea of screwing the poor preventing the start of low-wage tax cuts was the one part of Mayor Street's budget proposal that may have hit a brick wall. City Council was not impressed with this idea, having already passed the measure over Street's veto. Further, they see it as disrespect for its originator, the recently deceased David Cohen.

"You go to the man's funeral, speak a bunch of platitudes about how he helped the poor and in your next budget you want to reject his crowning legislative achievement. How cold is that?" Councilman James Kenney asked. "This is a personal dismantling of a colleague's legacy, and it's smacking David Cohen in the grave."
. . .
[Florence Cohen added] "The working poor deserve this tax cut, and remember that it's modeled after a state tax-credit program that came from a Republican legislature. I think this would make a Democratic city look very bad."

I can't see the political analysis justifying his choice here, even if DiCicco is right in saying that some of the support for the roll-back was a courtesy to Cohen originally. Why revisit an issue that is likely to rub so many the wrong way, especially in a surplus year? What principle is served? I guess it could be a cheap bone to throw Council during negotiations, but it's sure a blot on Street's judgement meantime.

Update: Dan delivers some snark on this one too... man, I had forgotten that theater-employee gaff!