Our mayor looks like a bull-headed idiot. The decision to go ahead with snow emergency ticketing and towing even as the weather report was changing was ill-advised. It demonstrates very poor decision-making skills. And the mayor's unapologetic, and, frankly, rude attitude yesterday (to the news media and on behalf of the person representing him on the phone when I called) shows that he doesn't have conflict resolution skills either.
I'm contesting the ticket---I think a lot of people will be. The tickets aren't even valid when you look at the winter parking regulations (on the Somerville web site http://www.ci.somerville.ma.us/, in the "traffic and parking" department site).
There it states: "A snow emergency fine is $50. A citation is issued for the following violations:
* Obstruction of a snowplow. * Parking within 10 feet of a fire hydrant or designated fire zone. * Parking within 20 feet of an intersection."
As there were no snowplows on the road last night, I can't see how I was obstructing one.
As for whether a snow emergency has been called before snow fell, I was going on what my neighbor who has lived in Somerville for 50 years said. Maybe that's wrong. Perhaps what he meant was that they have never given out tickets and towed cars before any snow fell. Hauntmeister, if there is a time when the city has done THAT before, I hope you'll fill me in. It doesn't seem to me that there's any precedent for this. It is not consistent enforcement, as the mayor is claiming it is.
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We're in the news
Date: 2004-01-29 05:13 am (UTC)An article in today's Globe about this issue.
Our mayor looks like a bull-headed idiot. The decision to go ahead with snow emergency ticketing and towing even as the weather report was changing was ill-advised. It demonstrates very poor decision-making skills. And the mayor's unapologetic, and, frankly, rude attitude yesterday (to the news media and on behalf of the person representing him on the phone when I called) shows that he doesn't have conflict resolution skills either.
I'm contesting the ticket---I think a lot of people will be. The tickets aren't even valid when you look at the winter parking regulations (on the Somerville web site http://www.ci.somerville.ma.us/, in the "traffic and parking" department site).
There it states:
"A snow emergency fine is $50. A citation is issued for the following violations:
* Obstruction of a snowplow.
* Parking within 10 feet of a fire hydrant or designated fire zone.
* Parking within 20 feet of an intersection."
As there were no snowplows on the road last night, I can't see how I was obstructing one.
As for whether a snow emergency has been called before snow fell, I was going on what my neighbor who has lived in Somerville for 50 years said. Maybe that's wrong. Perhaps what he meant was that they have never given out tickets and towed cars before any snow fell. Hauntmeister, if there is a time when the city has done THAT before, I hope you'll fill me in. It doesn't seem to me that there's any precedent for this. It is not consistent enforcement, as the mayor is claiming it is.