If You Charge It, They Won't Come.

This is a little bit off of Greenburgh directly, but relates later.

I went to visit a friend in White Plains Hospital this afternoon. A mutual friend went to visit the same person a day before and parked on the street in a space with a meter. He couldn't get back before the one hour limit and received a $25 parking ticket. We discussed that there was no place in White Plains that you can go, except the few CVS Pharmacy stores, and park for free. He pondered that point momentarily, rubbing his chin and said, "You know, you're right. I never thought about it, but you're right." Welcome to  the "new" City of White Plains, with all of it's renovation, expansion and progress.

In the halls of the Town of Greenburgh, I overheard a portion of a conversation I don't think I was supposed to hear or be a part of. Two employees, whom I didn't recognize, were discussing increasing parking fees and expanding metered parking in the Town. As they continued their discussion, my curiosity was raised and I tried to slow down enough to hear more. Unfortunately, I could not, finished my visit and left to go home and take a shower. Okay, it just feels like I need one whenever I go there.

As many of the Town's residents struggle, Supervisor Feiner is oblivious to their plight and needs of the constituency and only concerned with his reelection. He shouldn't just pontificate about their needs, but genuinely act like they matter. To him, however, they don't. The field is beginning to fill with potential challengers and we'll write about in another post. But we find it interesting that while the Villages see an double-digit tax increase and the Unincorporated Areas, for which he and his incompetent Board should be looking out for, see yet another increase, it's interesting that the Town is looking desperately at parking fees as a way to make money. This is the sad state of our elected officials. When in doubt, raise taxes, increase and invent new fees, but don't cut anything, especially spending.

Back to my friend in the hospital. I drove through the entire White Plains Hospital parking structure, unable to find a space. Yet, each level had two or three valet parking attendants that would be happy to park my car for an additional fee. No thanks, I'll take a chance with the parking meter. I found a space outside the new emergency room on the street and parked half in the melting snow and half on the street. I paid a dollar in quarters and ascended to the fifth floor. I ran into another mutual friend who was exiting. He said our friend looked good, sounded good and for all intents was doing well. I was relieved to find this. Once in the room, I explained that I couldn't stay too long as I parked on the street and only had a one hour meter. Another mutual acquaintance who was visiting said the one hour meters were a scam and designed to make money through tickets. The fact that he was a municipal employee made his comment that much more interesting to me.

My friend said to not worry and go when I needed to, saying he appreciated the visit, no matter how long it lasted. Forty minutes into the visit, I decided to leave. He insisted I go. Fortunately, since he was doing much better, I felt it was okay. Waiting for the elevator was arduous and I began getting "ticket-nervous". Finally, outside and back at my car, sans ticket, I started to think about Greenburgh charging more for parking and finding new ways to coerce us for more money simply to park. The friend I was visiting said his daughter won't shop in White Plains because she isn't willing to pay to park to shop. That's a great point. Perhaps our Town leaders will take heed of how they can hurt the Town more by pursuing this rationale. Let's hope they open their eyes.