At the end of last week it sounded like a pair of council hearings on the meters scheduled for Monday had been put on hold. Turns out that was only true for one, which was to examine how the deal was forged. Another went on as planned—Leslie Hairston’s demand for a look at whether the private operators knowingly collected money from meters that were mislabeled or not properly functioning.
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The hearing gave aldermen a much-needed two and a half hours to take out their meter frustrations on top officials for three entities: Morgan Stanley, the primary investor in the deal; Chicago Parking Meters, the company created by Morgan Stanley to carry it out; and LAZ Parking, the firm contracted to oversee day to day operations of the meter system. Residents across the city have railed against a deal that’s creating hassles and costing them money, and it’s increasingly clear that aldermen are looking for ways to step up and fight–or at least vent–that they didn’t pursue before.
Company officials chalked up most of the problems to the number, age, and design of the meters, saying they weren’t prepared for all the maintenance and logistical problems that they encountered—essentially what they’d “admitted” before.
Jack Guthman, an attorney for Chicago Parking Meters, said pleasantly that he thought that was a bunch of bullshit. “First of all, we will cooperate entirely with the corporation counsel,” he said. On the other hand, “I dispute entirely the suggestion that there have been any deceptive practices. I don’t want to debate this now, and we will cooperate entirely. But I don’t want this hearing to end with accusations that have been made that are really—”
