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On the cover of this week’s print edition of the Reader Ben Joravsky and I lay out a time line showing how the Daley administration rammed through its deal to privatize the city’s parking meter system, sacrificing transparency for a one-time cash payment. Many questions remain about the value of the deal (Did we the taxpayers get anywhere close to a fair price for giving away a revenue-producing asset for 75 years?), its implications for people who use the meters (Will a company supposedly selected for its ability to manage a parking system actually figure out how to do it?), and especially the decision-making and oversight process that went into it (How exactly were the bidders vetted? Or were they?).
Four months and a couple of Freedom of Information Act requests later, we were given documentation (which we’ve posted along with the story) showing that a year ago ten firms submitted packets showcasing their financial and management “qualifications” to lease the meters—but that only two of them followed through with bids a few months later.
Maybe the answers are more complicated than I can imagine.
