The View From Prospect Hill for the week of Jan. 25

The View From Prospect Hill for the week of Jan. 25

What do we want from municipal government? We want of course, the major city services we pay for – safe streets, excellent schools and public works that work for us.

But we also want to be able to walk into City Hall and feel like we can be heard. We want a voice in the decision making process. If our voice is one of dissent we especially hope the mayor and aldermen can listen, if not help.

             For the past six months there has been good reason to walk into City Hall and express concern. That reason – increased parking meter prices. Aside from the predictable griping that comes with any price increase, merchants and motorists across the entire city have raised several good points that Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone must address.

First, the waiters, waitresses and bartenders who contribute to Somerville’s vibrant nightlife automatically makes a dollar less an hour if they drive to work. Second, the meters only take quarters. Who carries stacks of quarters with them?

Third, motorists can not park in their spot for more than an hour in the afternoon. In many business districts across the city, once-leisurely lunches have become nerve wracking sagas of suspense starring frightened customers on the run from hyper aggressive meter maids.

The fourth and final reason the mayor must re-consider the fee increases he instituted is the unanimous disapproval they have been met with. From Union Square to Davis Square, from the Chamber of Commerce to the Aldermanic Chamber, backlash has been constant.

            In fact last week, the Board of Aldermen voted unanimously to recommend rolling back the new parking meter prices. The resolution was put forth by Ward 7 Alderman Bob Trane but was preceded by a similar resolution from Ward 5 Alderman Sean O’Donovan two months ago.

Trane and O’Donovan are hardly rabble rousers looking to grandstand in opposition to the mayor. They are two of his biggest supporters on the board and followed his lead on controversial issues such as Assembly Square and the gang ordinance.

But they are also dedicated to effective municipal government and couldn’t ignore the extreme outcry against exorbitant parking fees. Residents expressed their concerns and they listened. Now we hope Mayor Joe follows their lead and does the same.

Comments

[what a load of crap]

What a load of crap! Where were the good alderman when the fee icrease was first proposed? They were blindly follow the mayor's lead. Now because people are upset they are taking action. It takes balls to stand up to the mayor and like the rest of the board they are sheep doing what the mayor wants, not standing up for residents of the the city.

[somerspeak]

At the time of the proposed fee hikes, it should be noted that each of the seven ward Alderman made visits to their respective commercial districts with then Traffic and Parking Director Bob Bradley. The purpose of those meetings was to guage the response from the business owners to the proposed fee hikes. Every business owner I spoke to told their Alderman NO. In no uncertain terms. The Traffic Commission voted to hike the fees anyway, and the Mayor instituted them post haste.

In addition to Commissioner Koty of DPW and Captain Bob Bradley, Alderman Bob Trane was and currently is on the Traffic Commission. All three commission members voted to hike the parking fees.

[wintertalk]

As my counter season spoke so elliquently, the Business establishments of this City gave an unequviacal NO to the request of increased parking fees.

You will not have heard the last of the missing monies at the Traffic Dept. There should be an independent investigation going on because there is more than what is being presented by our own SPD.

If reveneue projections are down and fines are up, regardless if people fed the meters or not, the fines far outway the 25 cents it takes to stay for 15 minutes. Those projections back last March had to include the new meter fines, not rates for parking. If so, then the $9,000 is just the tip of the iceberg.

There still should be questions asked "OUTSIDE" the Traffic Dept. Those that hold the keys should all be questioned. Not by the SPD but by others. How about Attorney General Reilly who has been snubed by this Administration. That is where it should be initated from. Bring in Tommy boy. He will do a better job that Scott H ever did. At least he will not be paid for the investigation unlike Scotty who was paid $10,000 for his evaluation of an evaluation.

Tommy Boy, COME ON DOWN...

[First Mate]

Looks like FS has an adequate amount of cash to store the Titanic in a proper facility. Unless, the boat is behind door #4 to the Homans building once again. NO, he wouldn't do that twice would he? Na.

Boats gone to storage, vacation two weeks ago, club membership to the Dante Club, leaving work early to partake in activities on Cragie Street living it up high on the HOGG, Boss Hogg that is... and still no progress on the loss of funds at the Traffic unit.

What a astonishing country we live in.

[General]

When are we going to get rid of these politicans? It has been long enough and I can't wait until the next elections.

[Paul]

I would like to know how come there has been silence in the investigation at the Traffic dept?

It has been close to five weeks now and there is nothing happening. Why would this be? We need to know where are tax revenues are going.

[Think Again]

Come on, how do you say Alderman Trane and O'Donovan are not rabble-rousers? O'Donovan plays the side best suits him and Trane, like Taylor, has no clue but follow their noses. Trane will tell you meeting after meeting, my constituents want me or tell me this. He always does. Why the heck would someone want to call Trane? Can anyone answer that for me?

[Pete]

Second, the meters only take quarters. Who carries stacks of quarters with them?
People who park at meters do, because people know meters almost universally run on quarters these days. What sort of nonsense is this? Where do you people park in this day and age that takes dimes, nickels, and pennies? Is this the same place where people are still taking leisurely hour-plus-long lunches?

If you're saying that a payment system that takes cash, coins, or credit cards would be better, then push for muni-meters (but I expect that you'll then complain that people have to walk to the meter, and then back to their car -- such agony). But if, as I suspect, you're actually complaining that it's hard to manage to have quarters when you need them, I think you need to find something useful to occupy your time.

You also mention "waitresses and bartenders who contribute to Somerville’s vibrant nightlife" having to pay an extra dollar. Tell me, how much "nightlife" occurs between 8am and 6pm? And where, pray tell, did meters go up a dollar an hour over what they used to be? Same place that has the meters that take half-dollars?

You never once mention anything about coming up with a solid, comprehensive plan to ensure that short-term parking is protected as such for the many businesses that do need it (one of the main functions of meters). The city needs a thought-out, citywide plan, not a simplistic rollback conceived of by politicians who know giving money back to people gets votes.