WPCNR MR. & MRS. & MS. WHITE PLAINS VOICE. May30, 2008: It happened again Monday. On a beautiful Memorial Day holiday, people came into the downtown, parked on the street during the parade and for the cemetery ceremony and when they came back to their cars they had a little "thank you" from the City of White Plains -- the little red $15 Parking Violation Notice. Isn't everyone a little sick and tired of this cheap shot by the world's most hypocritical city?

A Friendly Thank You from the City of White Plains for Honoring the Nation's War Dead. Is it time the Council woke up and eliminated this counterproductive, chase-away-the-consumer practice of the holiday parking ticket?

You can bet your boots anyone from out of White Plains who came to that parade, returned to their cars and got one of these little red "thank you notes"  isn't coming back to White Plains to do anything anymore after that slap in the face. People got tickets during the parade, just after the parade and just after the Memorial Ceremony -- even if they had bought 2 hours and 40 minutes time in the meter -- as I did.

The city also refuses to tell this reporter how many tickets they handed out Monday. They know how many.

 Not telling is a dead tip off that those hard-working, efficient, swoop-in-and-get-you parking ticket brigades wrote a lot of them. They staked out cars. Very efficient, hard-working, dedicated to separating visitors to the downtown from their money. 

100 tickets is $1,500 for the city coffers; 200, $3,000, 300, $4,500 -- it is easy money from persons not aware of the fine print on meters and parking garage signs in the City of White Plains especially on holidays.

Well, this city is prospering, if you read the latest Moody's Report on the condition of the city. Perhaps, just perhaps, the Common Council might show a little concern about the city's image instead of their own images, and  rein in this preposterous sucker scheme the Department of Parking engineers under the guise of the lie that the city needs the revenue.

Well, if we are that prosperous, shouldn't we, in month five of  the official White Plains Recession, promote free parking on holidays -- especially on parade days?

Especially when the city is going to need the good will of the driving consumer? We're talking three gallons plus of gas here with every violation.

I personally think parking should be free in the city muncipal garages and lots on National Holidays like Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas and New Year's Eve and Day. 

What do you think, Mr. and Mrs. and Ms. White Plains?

Tell the city and the Common Council what to do-- in the poll on the right.