Ballard To Accept Award In Chicago From Parking Meter Association Whose Members Benefit From Privatization Deals

The National Parking Meter Association has plenty of reasons to like big city mayors like Mayor Greg Ballard. The Star's John Russell says that Mayor Ballard will travel to Chicago to accept an award as "The Innovator Of The Year" from the organization at its annual convention this week in recognition of his privatization of Indianapolis' parking assets. One of former Wisconsin Sen. William Proxmire's infamous "Golden Fleece Awards" would be more appropriate. The organization represents private parking companies which love public-private parking deals that enrich their members often at the expense of the taxpaying public.

A number of the Association's members have made off like bandits entering into one-sided agreements with municipalities to privatize publicly-owned parking garages and parking meter assets. The Association announced earlier this year that Denison Parking, one of the private companies that partnered with ACS/Xerox on Indianapolis' parking meter deal, also a member of the trade group, had become a major research sponsor for the organization. One of the Association's board members is the CEO for LAZ Parking, the company that entered into the controversial parking meter deal with the City of Chicago that has the city's residents and current mayor reeling over the one-sided terms of the deal.