Whatever you do, do not park on a gravel driveway in Toledo, Ohio. The Mayor of Toledo, Carty Finkbeiner, has deputized city workers to go out and ticket people who park on gravel driveways. Even if the driveway is in front of your own house. The Mayor, incidentally, is facing a recall.
(NEWSCOM)Photos (1 of 1)
Park in your own driveway? You’re a criminal!
By Jimmy Orr | 06.16.09
Who says government doesn’t always know best? And if government says you can’t legally park in your driveway, they must be right. What business do you have parking your car in your own driveway anyway?
Sure, this makes sense to all of us. But people in Toledo, on the other hand, are all upset because they’re receiving parking tickets for doing the unheard of. The criminal act of parking their cars in front of their house.
Crime wave
And the acts of criminality have become so rampant that the Mayor has deputized city workers (instead of police officers and the parking division of the city) to roam the hardscrabble streets to issue $25 parking citations to individuals who have committed this heinous crime.
Not every citizen is getting a ticket. Only those who don’t have their driveways paved. Gravel isn’t good enough for the Mayor. It’s gotta be paved. If not, you’re a criminal.
Dag-gone it!
Mayor Carty Finkbeiner, who surprisingly is facing a recall, says he stands by a bureaucrat’s the Acting Commissioner of Streets, Bridges and Harbor’s decision to ticket citizens who park in their driveways.
“Every law in the city should be enforced and I will defer to the director over the media, that’s for dag-gone sure,” Mayor Finkbeiner said in a press conference last night. “I will not second guess her because more times then not she’s right and the citizens that are criticizing her are not right.”
Surprise, surprise
It’s not as though Toledoans are hell-bent against paved driveways. It’s just that the decision to enforce a little known regulation is taking them by surprise. Take Charles Robertson, for example. He’s lived in the same house (with the same gravel driveway) for 43 years. He got his first ticket last week.
“I just can’t reach into my magic box of tricks and get 5 or 6 grand to pave my driveway,” he said.
Appeal
Not everyone agrees with the Mayor, however. City Councilman Michael Collins has collected many of the parking citations and has pledged to have the tickets rescinded.
“If we have time for this Mickey Mouse nonsense something is radically wrong with that,” Councilman Collins said.
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Follow us on Twitter and we’ll pay your parking tickets! (Well, actually, we won’t. But we would if we could).
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2. Peter Parker | 06.16.09
How about filing tresspassing charges against the author of the ticket ? Did he/she have permission or a warrant to be on the property ?
3. ottomaddog | 06.16.09
you all elected this winner, you should be forced to deal with him for a whole term to teach you all to actually pay attention in future elections
5. NHVoter | 06.16.09
Here’s a link to the ordinance being used to rake in extra funds for the City of Toledo. Interesting enough is the section right at the top called ‘1107.0102 Applicability.’. It seems clear to me that these ordinances guide the design of new or expanded developments exclusively. Then again, I’m no lawyer.
If gravel driveway ticketing is allowed/legal, this is just the beginning folks. Have a look at the rest of the ordinance:
Now, if this was the Mayor of my town, he’d be encouraged to resign and move out of state after a stunt like this. An unmarked car with darkened windows wouldn’t be a bad idea either.
Unbelievable….
6. Just an opinonated person | 06.16.09
In these more difficult economic times this sounds like simply a way for the city government to make more money. By enforcing an obscure law that has never been followed they are technically following their duties. In reality the whole lot has doomed their political careers.
7. joe kozak | 06.16.09
Good for the City and Mayor! Every law should be enforced STRICTLY, and with REVIEW. If the las is a poor one, then it should be immediately be changed after laxed enforcement. No picky-choosy on who laws are enforced upon, no matter how trivial a law.
8. rick jones | 06.16.09
Mayor Finkbeiner must enforce the law calling for paved driveways - otherwise, it is clear the rocks all end-up in his head.
9. Richard | 06.16.09
I wonder how many city driveways and parking lots are not paved. If they are not, should everyone of them be ticketed ?
10. John Fiske | 06.16.09
The ordinance is also absurd from an environmental perspective - gravel driveways are much better than cement or asphalt in temporarily absorbing heavy rainfall, preventing erosive run-off.
11. John Terrell | 06.16.09
According to stormwater management and erosion control, gravel parking areas help prevent problems while paved parking areas create problems. Hard to believe the mayor and town officials want to create stormwater and erosion problems!
12. Dr. Tom | 06.16.09
I thought that Spokane was bad - This ordinance is absolutely insane! Where did you find this “mayor” at?
13. icblackness | 06.16.09
Sad. This is the Obama effect exemplified. Government can do what it wants to the citizenry.
14. ben | 06.16.09
Imagine a Supreme Court Justice who thinks in this wooden-headed way — blind enforcement of the laws — can you imagine it? Do you want it?
15. NH | 06.16.09
We need nothing short of a military coup to get rid of all the WH people now, go in and round them up, and arrest and jail them for the looting of this country, the bankers who got the money, the Fed Reserve, etc. and clean up congress too. WE need to start over from scratch with the Constitution.
Otherwise, Obama’s one world totalitarianism is going to get ugly, even uglier than this.
17. klegca | 06.16.09
We have a similar problem in Sacramento County, CA. The police/sheriff will give you a ticket for illegal parking if you park your car on the street in front of your own driveway. (There is a law here that says it’s illegal to park on any street in front of a driveway.) No complaint is required. If they see you parked there, they can ticket/fine you.
18. Joe Erie | 06.16.09
I see a mass of “abuse of process” actions against this whack-job. Too bad he can’t be arrested for arrogance. (and the rest of the jokers who think that their ordinance allows that action) Toledoans, take action!
19. Live Here | 06.16.09
This is not the first hairbrain thing this mayor has done. Just google his name, you will see what I’m talking about. I live in the city of Toledo and have a stoned driveway. I have not received a ticket, but if I do, it will be war!
20. Mark | 06.16.09
The question here is who is making policy? Are all fences the correct height? Hedges? So-called “strict” enforcement is impossible and not desirable. Policy should be directed by health, safety and most of all common sense. Strict enforcement would require a draconian police state and armies of volunteer snitch neighbors. Is that what we want? No. Victims of this nonsense should demand the policy papers regarding enforcement priorities and challenge each and every citation. This is insane and bad government.
21. Live Here | 06.16.09
Oh and I forgot to mention, my stoned driveway is off a stoned street. My property is on 3 streets, the street that is behind our garage is not even paved!
22. John | 06.16.09
I think the law is breaking the right to property; the one who enforced this law should be punished!
23. Jon G. | 06.16.09
I don’t live anywhere near there…. but, I feel for those of you that do… this seems insane from the outside… as I found this on CNN. It seems like someone definitely went through some obscure rules to find a way to impose some monetary fines. I would encourage there to be a definition of what paved surface area is …because that could be argued by the public servants’ interpretation of what is a paved surface. This story just makes me mad!!!
24. bob davis | 06.16.09
If only we could recall politicians for stupidity.
But then there would no one left to govern us!
25. Madam_S | 06.16.09
Umm, maybe we should know what “the ordinance” is that is being enforced?
Nah, let’s just rant about how bad our country is.
And to Suze, icblackness, WH: why does this make Obama a bad president?
Mr. Orr: What kind of journalism is this, anyway? I compare this to graffiti.
26. JSC | 06.16.09
These people with gravel driveways have a choice. Pave your drievway. Then take the extra tar, buy some feathers and then hold a good old tar and feathering of the mayor down at the town center.
27. KB | 06.16.09
Greensboro NC has passed a similar ordinance that starts July 1. Similar deal, but must be paved, concrete or gravel (no parking in the grass), but the gravel must be bordered so that they do not wash into the street.
28. Brian Schend | 06.16.09
First, any blame of Obama is BS.
Second, what is missing from this article is the obvious question - Why is it illegal to park on a gravel driveway?
Oh, klegca, the Sacramento law is valid. You can’t reasonable expect a police officer to know whether you’re parked in front of your own driveway or someone else’s. And the street is not your property, even if it is in front of your driveway.
29. Bort | 06.16.09
Could you put a roof over the gravel driveway - making it into a carport, to get around this law?
30. Tony | 06.16.09
Excellent article. I’m amazed by the number of people who clearly don’t grasp the concept of irony. To those who missed civics class: virtually all laws are open to one form of interpretation (or exploitation) or another. If this weren’t the case we would have no need for lawyers (if only). Along the same lines, it is up to the executive branch to enforce their interpretation of a law. Don’t give kudos to someone who is misinterpreting a law, possibly for financial benefit. If the man had any spine or integrity, he’d ask the city council to go over the law again or clarify it. I suspect that, like many localities, you can’t challenge parking tickets in court the way you can a speeding ticket or more serious accusation.
The more things we make illegal, the more citizens we label as criminals.
31. hoosierlift | 06.16.09
well lets just say you push and push someone at the brink who may be close to losing thier home/job lack of money tell them they have to pave a driveway or else pay more money well taxes are involved all the way around money for tickets money for paving and oh yeah increased taxes once the driveway is paved, well i recall no taxation without representation… lets just say the boston tea party was not thrown to taste the lemons… how long before we are lawless and ran by rebels like somalia… get your guns boys lets get a ship…
32. Name (required) | 06.17.09
First, poor attempt to be a comedian. i hope somebody turns the mayor’s driveway into gravel just so he can have to pay a ticket! Second, blame white people. the man is always trying to find ways to keep us down! Third, blame obama. If the mormon guy were in office people our wives would be parking the cars in the right spots. Fourth, add something that sounds smart. Based on the actual statute of the county, the owner of said vehicle is subject to any sort of indictment wherever as such to whom it may concern. Fifth, end with something witty and quick. *blogging is for the lame - but i am blogging. does this not make me lame? doh!* haha, simpsons. perfect example of a great comment
33. rich | 06.17.09
As a Toledoan I personally do not find this at all surprizing. Don’t forget this is the same Mayor who said we should put all the deaf people in the homes around the airport as a solution to the noise complaints.
34. NHVoter | 06.17.09
To Madam_S, Brian Schend:
See entry #5 for a link to the ordinance being used, improperly in my hukmble opinion, to bring in more money to the Toledo coffers. This should be VERY easy to beat if I’m reading the ordinance correctly.
Has anyone in the news interviewed this idiot of a mayor? If so, please post a link to the video. I’d love to watch him squirm trying to explain how he thinks this is legal!
35. blowback | 06.17.09
The law of unintended consequences strikes again!
Paving over front gardens for parking in the UK has substantially increased the risk of flooding in some areas. The increased runoff during heavy rain overwelms the old drainage systems which were designed when most of the gardens acted as soakaways during rain storms. Someone should read up the local ordinances to see if there are laws about flood prevention. Failing that use some local ordnance against the mayor:>)
36. T-Town | 06.17.09
Carty Finkbeiner is a nut! He is the same nutjob who alledgedly assaulted a citizen at a restaurant during his first term. He is out of control.
37. Tannim | 06.17.09
Sounds like the mayor needs a 4-ft pile of gravel dumped on his driveway so he can’t get out. That’s just stupid ticky-tack junk to raise revenue on the backs of peaceful citizens.
38. Rich Baker | 06.17.09
I would go around and find all city vehicles parked on a gravel driveway and give them a ticket. I don’t know how you would collect? I bet their are more silly ways to generate revenue around the corner. God help us!
39. Sam | 06.17.09
I’m laughing even more after reading the Google ads at the bottom of this page — all three ads are for driveway paving and repair!
40. Mike | 06.17.09
Where’s did we did get Carty Finkbeiner? **** I don’t Know. Anybody want him? We’ll sell him to you real cheap!
41. Tommy | 06.17.09
one of the Google ads it’s showing now is for pursuing a criminal justice degree online. HA!
42. connie | 06.18.09
For all of you who feel we Toledoans deserve this nut for Mayor…ask how many voted for someone else and how many times those of us who voted for someone else NEVER voted for this NUT. I know someone personally who witnessed Carty jumping up and down on his desk because he was so upset. Maybe we should start electing adults to run our city!
43. Marie Cogdill | 06.18.09
If/when you readers finally get tired of this nonsense then please go to americangrandjury.org and get involved. It costs nothing to join. Many have gotten involved to CHANGE what is going on. Please consider it not only for yourselves but for your loved ones. Time is wasting, we have precious little time to spend griping about what should be. We can only try to effect the future not the past.
44. Fisherman | 06.18.09
Who was on Council in 1991 when the ordinance was passed. Did any of the council members own or have connections to a local paving company? I wouldn’t be surprised that if someone were to dig into the matter, they may find that there was someone with a paving company directly or indirectly involved.
45. jim | 06.20.09
The mayor is just angry because his mother gave him a name like Carty Finkbeiner.
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Jimmy Orr has worked in politics for the majority of his professional career working for two U.S. Senators, two Governors and one President. Most recently, Orr served as White House Spokesman and Internet Director for President George W. Bush and Special Advisor to Governor Schwarzenegger for Internet Communications.
David Cook is Washington bureau chief of The Christian Science Monitor and host of the Monitor's newsmaker breakfasts. He was the Monitor's editor from 1994 to 2001. Cook is a graduate of Principia College, served in the U.S. Army, was a Bagehot Fellow at Columbia University, and is a member of the Gridiron Club, Washington's oldest journalistic organization.
1. Suze | 06.16.09
Government has discovered a new drive to confiscate, via taxes and fines, everything we’ve worked for all our lives. It’s not their fault if they, really, truly know what’s best for everybody.
Hey, you follow a White Rabbit with a pocket watch, you wind up in Today’s Amerikka.