By Ben Joravsky
That’s right. Molaro’s proposing to take away a right most Chicagoans hold sacred: the right to park in front of one’s home. More exactly, the right to keep outsiders from parking there first.
Some zones make more sense than others. There are Lincoln Parkers, for instance, who can talk for hours about the frustrations of looking for a spot in which to cram their cars on a bustling Saturday night. And not long ago Marquette Park residents had to cope with a strange invasion of parked cars.
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For the record, the Daley administration is washing its hands of Molaro’s proposition. “I don’t think it has a snowball’s chance in hell of passing,” says John Holden, spokesman for the Department of Revenue. “But as far as the city’s concerned it’s a local matter. If residents want them [restrictive zones] we have no objections. We’re pretty neutral on these things.”
If Molaro did nothing else, at least he helped expose the hypocrisy of several Republican legislators. These officials worked themselves into a lather denouncing Molaro’s proposal as a usurpation of their home-rule rights while conniving with Governor Edgar to take control of Meigs Field. What, Chicago doesn’t have home-rule rights? And, while we’re at it, aren’t Republicans supposed to be against government regulation?
“They have permit parking around White Sox park,” says Kulys. “Do you think Mayor Daley’s going to let the state take that away from 11th Ward residents? Do you think he’s going to let White Sox fans park all over Bridgeport? I don’t think so. I don’t think Senator Molaro has more clout than Mayor Daley. And how about those people in Lincoln Park? Can you imagine how enraged they’ll get when they find out what Molaro’s bill would do to them? I don’t think Molaro’s thought this thing through. How would he like to go down in history as the politician who took permit parking away from Chicagoans?”
