Clearly, the heat is on. The police chief has ordered his officers to quadruple ticket enforcement. Since my experience with the parking police, I’ve noticed a lot more of those offending orange tickets on windshields.
The poster boy for parking enforcement is, of course, the inimitable and indefatigable Jeremy Blaber. A city committeeman and flunky during the mayor’s campaign, the irregular blogger was promised a post in the new administration. It turned out to be not much of a job, $12,900 as a part-time parking ticket writer. But Blaber has quite obviously taken his work to heart.
Recall the incidents last week where Blaber wrote not one, but two tickets on Hizzoner’s own car. Blaber swore, and the mayor backed him up, that he didn’t know it was Shayne Gallo’s car. Gallo praised the ambitious ticket-writer and paid up.
Now, it doesn’t matter whether people believe this story or not. The notion that Blaber didn’t recognize the mayor’s car after campaigning with him for almost a year is laughable. That the zealous ticket rookie who claims he writes at least $1,000 worth a day may have written one mayoral ticket is plausible. Two is not.
Be that as it may, let the word go forth: If you live in Kingston or if you visit or work here, bring plenty of change and your checkbook. What effect this new get-tough policy has on the city coffers on the one hand and tourism and business on the other remains to be seen.
More county moves
The county executive’s announcement of the retirement of human rights/youth bureau director Arlene Foy Reynolds last week brings the body count to 14 for management personnel in the past year, according to a reliable source.
Most of those positions have been filled. Say what you will about the Hein administration, it is one active employment agency in a county where good jobs are scarce.
Foy Reynolds (no relation) was human relations director for a dozen years before it was merged with the youth bureau two years ago.
Hein has recommended Evelyn Clarke, wife of minister Modele Clarke of Esopus, as a successor. The salary is $66,389; total compensation with benefits is about $90,000.
