Can anyone in the City of Hartford say they are not aware that as soon as any snow accumulation is predicted, Mayor Segarra calls for a Parking Ban on City Streets? Tonight the ban is beginning probably 12 hours before the first flakes will begin piling up.
Better safe than sorry. Segarra doesn't want to risk any City hall employees or their boyfriend's, partner's, significant others crashing anymore City Vehicles in snowy weather. Even though the Council issued their decree on use of City Vehicles, I am not sure that is being followed.
But anyway, I think we jumped the gun on the timing of this parking ban, but if it makes the Mayor feel as though he has some power, so be it. And this gives his Director of Misinformation something to do, she sure isn't replying to e-mails requesting information from the Mayor's Office.
The Director of Misinformation may want to google flag etiquette though. Yesterday she sent out a press release that Segarra had ordered all flags flown at half staff. The Mayor has no authority to do that, only the President, the Governor of any State and the Mayor of Washington DC can order flags flown at half staff. But when do the rules matter in Hartford.
Back to my topic, people really need to pay attention to the parking bans. The almost $200.00 cost to retrieve your vehicle is crazy. If street parkers haven't realized yet, HPD is taking the parking bans seriously and sending a message. Clear the streets of your vehicles or pay the cost.
There is no excuse... the message is out and last snowstorm, almost 1,000 parking tickets were issued by HPD. That is almost $100,000 in revenue for the City, if collected. That is a big if ,since many of the vehicles are unregistered , misused plates or in some cases stolen and dumped on the street.(NOTE TO COUNCIL- It might make sense to put some of that ticket revenue back into the PD Budget, since the entire cost for writing those tickets is borne through the HPD Budget. How many months could the Mounted Unit be supported by $50,000 in ticket revenue and tomorrow should be another ticket frenzy that could add another $50,000 . Just a thought)
Bottom line is to pay attention to the ban or pay the price. In the meantime, don't bother patronizing any Hartford businesses with on street parking tonight because chances are good your car won't be there when you come out, and if it is it will probably have a $100.00 ticket on it
Kevin, the mayor will be an ex fart in the wind soon. The word is out, the voters are fed up with this nonsense 3rd class run city hall. Its time for a change.
ReplyDeleteGREAT IDEA, Kevin. Let's get that into a draft resolution and submit it to Council. MANY will support you. IF HPD is making the City safer and making it easier for Public Works to clear (in freezing cold), they deserve $$ in their budget. Just "heist" the language from recent commercial truck parking resolution. Should be easy to execute: Print tickets in blue vs. red with different numbering; HPA could collect and put into account credited to HPD not General Fund. $$ could help eliminate Mounted Police costs, PAL program costs, and any other goodwill efforts/programs that are a burden to PD budget but critical to community relations.
ReplyDeleteKevin, the mayor was driving around with the news media helping motorists in hartford. Now that is a mayor ! Where were u ? The mayor looked like a general marching through the snow !!
ReplyDeleteyes Admiral, the Mayor has finally realized he needs the media, I think it might be too little too late, despite the efforts of his Director of Misinformation Mabel La Cruz. I hear he was also shoveling out driveway aprons for residents that complained after the plows came by and blocked them in again.
ReplyDeleteSomeone ought to tell him a man his age should not be shoveling snow, Have Mabel and his scheduler get out of the limo and grab a shovel. I know his Secret Service detail can't shovel because of Union issues.