City Downplays Parking Meter Lawsuit: 'Wholly Without Merit'

Chicago Public Radio:

In a brief written statement, the city says the lawsuit over its $1.15 billion parking meter privatization is "wholly without merit."

Read the whole story: Chicago Public Radio

Comments

[up420oz]

a tube of crazy glue & a roll of tokens. Let them spend their money on that for awhile.

[Realist]

Very Nice! Happening all over the children of the greatest generation selling we the people's assets in a wholesale looting of Amerika. Not like this is new. State assets have been stolen by every totalitarian and fascist regime in history. Buckle up folks it's going to be a fun ride as the USSA is driven into the ground by out Ivy League MBA & JD best and brightest.

[mjb5406]

Is it comfortable having your head shoved so far up your bottom?

[Realist]

I'll let you know after you tell me how it feels to jam your triple chin up yours LOL!

[Nicole Beck]

This is nothing to scoff at (no pun intended!) Some of our metered streets have become ghost towns (due to the excessive parking fees and heavy policing) and all the parkers have moved to side streets where they do not live, clogging those thoroughfares for the residents who do reside there. We DO NOT have control over our streets anymore! What happens if a neighborhood wants to lobby to have meters removed? There is no municipal recourse. WE HAVE SOLD OUR STREETS! (at least curbside) and who's deal was this anyway? Certainly not the citizens. This is another of Daley's backdoor deals and will work to oust him next election.

[Superb1]

Well it looks like the city of Chicago will really reap the bucks on this one. 75 years? Who cooked this turkey of a deal up?

[ejhickey]

Besides Daley, one of the key players behind this deal is Morgan Stanley bank and JP Morgan. they provided the money for the payment to the city and wrote the terms. Yes , both of these banks received taxpayer funds as a bailout through the TARP program and both banks employ close relatives of the mayor in their Chicago offices. The Mayor's nephew, William Daley III works as a VP for MS and the Mayor's brother , William is a VP at JP Morgan.

This is not the only parking deal the City has with MS. Morgan Stanley has 99 year leases on several city owned parking lots, the biggest being the lot at Millenium Park.

When you park in Chicago, chances are your parking fees are going to Morgan Stanley , not the City. However the City has been giving out tickets to make sure people keep paying MS and that what this lawsuit wants to stop

[mjb5406]

And that's what people don't understand... if you read the IVI lawsuit, it's not just about the leasing of taxpayer-paid city assets to private companies and still using it (and state) law enforcement to give out tickets... and you certainly can't say that the solution is for the companies to do it themselves since that's basically allowing a private company to tart their own police department. I hope the city loses out on this and has to give the $1.5B back!

[moutonnoir]

It is heart breaking that TARP(our tax $) was used by MS to buy our public assets in this manner. It is beyond the pale.