Pays $20 ticket for illegal parking Friday

by Caitlin Huston Pharos-Tribune

LOGANSPORT — A large yellow parking space with a sign reading “Mayor Parking Only” turned up in an area previously reserved for police squad cars Monday morning after Mayor Ted Franklin received a ticket Friday for parking in a no-parking zone outside the City Building.

A Logansport police officer noticed Franklin’s yellow Chevrolet Corvette as well as a black Chevrolet Avalanche belonging to Councilman Bob Bishop on the east side of City Building about noon on Friday, according to a police report. The officer asked that dispatch call the mayor’s office.

The report states the Avalanche was moved in less than 30 minutes, but the Corvette remained in place. Cass County central dispatch then contacted Officer Jason Shideler to return to the parking spaces because of an individual who called and complained, the report states.

“The complainant refused to give their name, but they had received a ticket for the same offense and felt like the individual should receive a ticket,” the narrative said.

Officer A.J. Rozzi, the police chief under Franklin’s predecessor, Mike Fincher, advised Shideler that he would handle the matter, according to the report. He issued the parking ticket at 4:15 p.m.

Franklin said he first became aware of the situation about five minutes later, when someone called him to tell him that there was a parking ticket on his car.

The nose of his Corvette was sticking into the yellow no-parking zone, Franklin said.

Franklin paid the $20 ticket Monday, and said the parking space in the police lot had been put in place that morning.

“I’m just not going to play that game,” Franklin said.

Franklin has been at odds with some members of the police department almost since he took office. The rift began 10 days into his term when Franklin refused to hire Rozzi’s son, Jason, for an open position on the force.

Franklin said his office had three spots before the new spot was created. The newly created parking spot can also be used for guests of the mayor, he said.

A chain separates Franklin’s parking space from the rest of the parking lot.

With the new parking spot, Franklin said he feels he will be able to get in and out of the building quickly to conduct city business.

“This will allow me to do that a lot better,” he said.

• Caitlin Huston is a staff reporter of the Pharos-Tribune. She can be reached at 574-732-5148 or caitlin.huston@pharostribune.com.

 

Update 7/26/12

LOGANSPORT, Ind. (WLFI) – The spot now devoted to the Mayor Ted Franklin was previously used by police squad cars.  Franklin decided to claim two of those spots as his own after getting a $20 parking ticket Friday. He said there are still eight available spots for police despite him designating two for himself.

In a reader-submitted picture (above) to the Logansport Pharos-Tribune, Franklin’s yellow Corvette is pictured parked over the yellow line.

Franklin said the mayor shouldn’t have to pay $20 to park and said he thinks this dispute goes back to the officer who wrote the ticket.

Franklin said the officer was the former chief of police and was demoted back to a street patrolman after he became mayor in January.

Franklin said he also decided not to hire this officer’s son shortly after and said he thinks there are still some hard feelings.

“There’s some sour grapes there and I feel like it’s an attempt to embarrass me or to intimidate me and I’m not going to buy into it. I can’t be intimidated,” Franklin said.

Franklin said the bright yellow spot is there to stay.